Detained SBS journalist in Belarus released

22 Sep 2012, 5:37 pm   -   Source: SBS staff, AAP
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SBS Dateline reporter Amos Roberts will be returning to Australia tonight after being held by Belarusian authorities as he tried to leave that country.

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SBS Dateline reporter Amos Roberts will be returning to Australia tonight after being held by Belarusian authorities as he tried to leave that country.

His reporting equipment, including his computer, video camera, phone and USB sticks are being held, although Mr Roberts is no longer being detained.

Mr Roberts had been covering a mass airdrop of teddy bears by a Swedish public relations firm, which caused a major diplomatic row between Belarus and the European Union.

A Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said the department was aware an Australian man had been "temporarily detained" by Belarus authorities.

"The Australian Embassy in Moscow is providing assistance," DFAT told AAP in a statement on Saturday.

Ily Kuznetsov, a representative of the Belarusian journalists' union, said Mr Roberts had told him that border guards had confiscated his TV camera, computer and all the material he had gathered during the week before the parliamentary election in Belarus.

Associated Press reports that Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1994, has little tolerance for independent media.

Mr Kuznetsov said the detention prevented Roberts from flying to Warsaw on Friday afternoon and he would be unable to leave Belarus until Saturday at the earliest.

It was not yet known whether his equipment would be returned.

Executive Producer Peter Charley says it is not uncommon for SBS Dateline reporters to be in such a position, as they strive to uncover stories across the globe.

"There are some components of that story that may have upset members of the Belarus government possibly, that's why he was stopped, I'm not certain," said Mr Charley.

"But it's a matter we're looking into at the moment to clarify precisely what the motivation was to stopping him.  But he's fine, he's safe and well, and will be returning to Australia tonight."

 

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