Belarusian journalist Siarhei Satsuk is serving a prison sentence of eight years after being convicted in October 2022 on charges of taking a bribe, inciting hatred, and abusing power or authority. Satsuk, the chief editor of the independent Yezhednevnik news website, was first arrested in March 2020 and released the following month. He was detained again in December 2021.
On March 25, 2020, officers from the State Control Committee, which oversees the country’s financial investigations, detained Satsuk, according to news reports and Barys Haretski, deputy head of the Belarussian Association of Journalists (BAJ), who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Officers also searched Yezhednevnik’s offices and seized documents, according to a report by the BAJ, an independent advocacy and trade group operating from exile.
On March 31, 2020, the State Control Committee opened a criminal case against Satsuk, accusing him of accepting a bribe of $5,000, according to banned Belarusian human rights organization Viasna.
Satsuk was released in April 2020, according to BAJ. However, he was detained again on December 8, 2021, after having his home searched and being taken for questioning to the Belarusian Investigative Committee in connection with the 2020 bribery case, according to multiple news reports. Belarusian authorities blocked Yezhednevnik’s website on the same day, the reports said.
On June 9, 2022, BAJ reported that Satsuk had been charged with inciting hatred under Article 130, Part 2 of the criminal code, and abuse of power or official authority under Article 426, Part 2 of the code. BAJ reported that authorities had not disclosed any information about the new charges.
Satsuk’s trial began on September 23, 2022, at the Minsk City Court, according to Viasna. On October 26, the court found Satsuk guilty of taking a bribe, inciting hatred, and abusing power or authority, and sentenced him to eight years in jail, according to media reports and a statement by the BAJ.
The court also fined Satsuk 16,000 Belarusian rubles (US$6,360) and banned him from holding certain positions for five years after his release from prison, according to news reports. In addition, the court ordered Satsuk to pay 12,384 Belarusian rubles (US$4,930) in compensation, the reports said.
On February 10, 2023, the Belarusian Supreme Court upheld Satsuk’s sentence, BAJ reported.
Satsuk is being held at Prison No. 15 in the eastern city of Mahilou, according to Viasna.
In November 2024, a source close to the journalist told CPJ that his health condition was “getting worse and worse” and that he required daily medication.
In April 2026, one of Satsuk’s former cellmate spoke with Radio Svoboda, the Belarusian service of U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on condition of anonymity for safety concerns, and affirmed that Satsuk’s health had deteriorated significantly.
“He has serious health problems,” the former cellmate said. “The doctor said he needs a pacemaker, without which every day is like a lottery. But no one in the prison will do [the pacemaker insertion]. Plus, he has serious problems with his pancreas and spine, and [the prison administration] won't allow him to receive all necessary medication. He’s having a very hard time.” The man added that Satsuk is working in an industrial zone hauling iron, since he is not yet of retirement age.
Haretski said that Satsuk’s arrest in March 2020 followed Yezhednevnik’s publication of stories on the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 23, 2020, Satsuk published an editorial, which CPJ reviewed, criticizing the Belarusian authorities’ handling of the coronavirus and alleging that they had disseminated false information about the virus.
On March 26, 2020, following his arrest, the BAJ reported that Satsuk had written to independent broadcaster Euroradio in case he was arrested, saying that he had previously received anonymous threats telling him to stop reporting and to “think about his family and himself.” Satsuk also said that the arrest could have been retaliation for his investigative reporting into alleged corruption at the health ministry.
In April 2026, CPJ emailed the Belarusian Ministry of Interior, which oversees Belarus’ prison system, but did not receive a reply.