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KGB charges Japanese national with spying, Tokyo files protest
September 6, Pozirk. A Japanese national arrested in southern Belarus in early July has been charged with spying, Kanstancin Byčak, chief investigator at the Committee for State Security (KGB), said in an interview broadcast by Belarus 1 yesterday.
The charge carries a prison term from three to seven years.
Byčak’s interview was part of the propaganda television station’s story, in which the KGB chief investigator and reporter made one-sided accusations against the Japanese suspect, ignoring his right to the presumption of innocence.
The Japanese Embassy in Belarus submitted a note to the foreign ministry on September 5 over the Belarus 1 coverage, expressing concern about violations of the rights of the arrested, Kyodo News reported.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told journalists that the broadcast was “extremely regrettable.”
“We will extend as much support as possible from the standpoint of protecting our nationals,” he said.
Japanese diplomats in Minsk were reportedly allowed to see the man and contacted his family members.
