Belarus Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

In Belarus, more newsroom raids as crackdown continues

December 29, 2010 5:22 PM EST

New York, December 29, 2010–Belarusian authorities continued their massive crackdown on critical news media on Tuesday as security agents raided offices shared by the independent weekly Nasha Niva and the Belarusian PEN Center.

Demonstrators hold signs for jailed journalist Irina Khalip and her son. (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin)

CPJ demands Belarus end its assault on press

December 27, 2010 3:20 PM EST

New York, December 27, 2010–Belarusian authorities must immediately halt their assault on independent and pro-opposition news media, a crackdown that has led to unjust detentions, raids, and seizures, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Belarusian journalists Irina Khalip, left, and Natalya Radina. They are currently held by the KGB in Minsk. (AP/Sergei Grits)

Journalists held by Belarus KGB face up to 15 years in prison

December 23, 2010 10:32 AM EST

New York, December 23, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by the ongoing detention and potential prosecution of Belarusian journalists Natalya Radina, editor of the pro-opposition news website Charter 97, and Irina Khalip, local correspondent for the Moscow-based independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Both are considered suspects in organizing and participating in mass disorder–a charge that carries up to…

Supporters light candles today outside prison walls in Minsk for those detained in Belarus' Sunday opposition protests. (AP/Dmitry Brushko)

Belarus arrests, sentences journalists in crackdown

December 21, 2010 4:51 PM EST

New York, December 21, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the prison sentences handed down to journalists who reported on post-election protests in Belarus, and the anti-media rhetoric by President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Riot police officers move to block thousands of opposition supporters in Belarus trying to storm the main government building to protest alleged vote-rigging in Sunday's election. (AP/Sergey Ponomarev)

Dozens of journalists beaten, arrested in Belarus crackdown

December 20, 2010 5:29 PM EST

New York, December 20, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the violent government crackdown against journalists covering demonstrations in Minsk against Sunday’s flawed presidential vote won by President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Security police have arrested at least 20 journalists and beaten at least 20 more between the outbreak of rallies Sunday evening and their forcible dispersal…

Widespread Net disruption surrounds Belarus election coverage

December 20, 2010 5:04 PM EST

As I mentioned last Friday, local journalists in Belarus were preparing for targeted disruption to Internet communications during Sunday’s presidential elections. The online news site Charter ’97, which has experienced more than its fair share of denial-of-service (DOS) attacks and police raids in the past, was already warning its readers last week to use their…

Six stories: Online journalists killed in 2010

December 17, 2010 3:52 PM EST

This week, CPJ published its year-end analysis of work-related fatalities among journalists. Six of the 42 victims worked online. While you can read the full statistics and our special report elsewhere, I want to highlight the stories of these six journalists who worked on the Web.

As bombings spread, Pakistan deadliest nation

December 15, 2010 12:01 AM EST

At least 42 journalists are killed in 2010 as two trends emerge. Suicide attacks and violent street protests cause an unusually high proportion of deaths. And online journalists are increasingly prominent among the victims. A CPJ special report

Belarus media harassed in run-up to presidential vote

December 10, 2010 12:52 PM EST

New York, December 10, 2010–Belarusian authorities must stop harassing independent media outlets and journalists and allow them to cover the December 19 presidential elections without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Fighting bogus piracy raids, Microsoft issues new licenses

December 7, 2010 3:10 PM EST

CPJ has documented for several years the use of spurious anti-piracy raids to shut down and intimidate media organizations in Russia and the former Soviet republics. Offices have been shut down, and computers seized. Often, security agents make bogus claims to be representing or acting on behalf of the U.S. software company Microsoft.