24 March 2002
Journalist beaten up in Brest

 Oleg Suprunyuk, a Brest correspondent for
Radio Liberty and deputy chief editor of the local
non-state newspaper Brestsky Kuryer, was hospitalized on
March 23 with a broken jaw and numerous bruises. He has had
an operation on his jaw and is expected to spend at least
two weeks in the hospital.
The journalist says three unknown men beat him up without
any apparent reason a week ago, late on March 17. According
to him, he felt bad, but chose not to go to the doctor, nor
to the police, because he was to attend a seminar in
Vilnius, Lithuania, the following day.
Mr. Suprunyuk does not plan to report the beating to the
police, saying it is now too late to look for the
assailants anyway. He does not connect the attack on him to
his professional activities. He believes he was beaten up
by "ordinary hooligans."