Belarusian authorities label newspaper, journalists’ association as ‘extremist’
Paris, March 7, 2023 — In response to multiple news reports that the Belarusian security service recently labeled the exiled Belarusian Association of Journalists and independent newspaper Brestskaya Gazeta as “extremist,” the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement calling for authorities to stop harassing the organizations and let them work freely: “By labeling…
Belarusian authorities sentence journalist Andrzej Poczobut to 8 years in prison, detain journalist Anastasia Sharkevich
Paris, February 8, 2023 – Belarusian authorities must immediately release journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Anastasia Sharkevich, and stop retaliating against journalists for their reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, February 6, Sharkevich, who manages the Telegram channel of the independent newspaper Narodnaya Volya, appeared in a video published by a pro-government…
Belarusian journalist Aliaksandr Lyubyanchuk sentenced to 3 years in prison
Paris, October 27, 2022 – Belarusian authorities must immediately release Aliaksandr Lyubyanchuk, who was sentenced today to three years in prison, and stop retaliating against journalists for their work with banned Poland-based independent broadcaster Belsat TV, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Thursday, October 27, a court in Minsk, the capital, convicted Lyubyanchuk…
Belarusian journalists detained, forced to make ‘confession’ videos
Paris, October 12, 2022—Belarusian authorities are continuing their crackdown on the country’s independent media with a spate of fresh arrests and detentions of several journalists. On Thursday, October 6, police in Minsk, the capital, detained Snezhana Inanets, a reporter at the independent news website Onliner, and her husband Aliaksandr Lychavko, a local historian and reporter…
CPJ condemns Belarus ‘witch hunt’ after three BelaPAN journalists sentenced to lengthy prison terms
Paris, October 6, 2022 – Belarusian authorities must immediately release Andrei Aliaksandrau, Dzmitry Navazhylau, and Iryna Leushyna, three former and current employees of independent Belarusian news agency BelaPAN who were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 4 to 14 years on various charges, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. All three have denied the charges, and Leushyna and…
CPJ condemns 8-year jail sentence for Belarusian journalist Ksenia Lutskina
Paris, September 28, 2022 – In response to news reports that a court in Belarus on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Ksenia Lutskina to eight years in prison for conspiring to seize state power, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The harsh verdict against former state TV journalist Ksenia Lutskina shows the ruthlessness…
At least five independent Belarusian journalists face trials, years in jail
Paris, June 3, 2022 – Ahead of the imminent trials of at least five independent Belarusian journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the country’s authorities to drop the charges against them and immediately release them from jail, CPJ said Friday. The journalists, whose trials are scheduled to begin between Monday, June 6,…
Belarusian journalist detained for 2 months, charged over reporting
Paris, May 19, 2022 — Belarus authorities should immediately release and drop all charges against journalist Dzmitry Luksha and let the press report freely on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On March 11, law enforcement searched the home of Luksha, a freelance journalist with the Kazakh state-funded television station…
Belarus authorities sentence journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich to prison; label more media ‘extremist’
Stockholm, March 11, 2022 – Belarus authorities should reverse their recent designations of German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), local independent news site Regiyanalnaya Gazeta, and three videos by Russian blogger Yuriy Dud as “extremist”; release journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich, a former correspondent with U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarusian service known locally as…
Belarusian photojournalist Uladz Hrydzin sentenced to 13 days in jail
New York, February 8, 2022 – Belarusian authorities should immediately release journalist Uladz Hrydzin and allow him and the country’s media to work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On Monday, February 7, the Frunze district court in the capital Minsk sentenced Hrydzin, a freelance photojournalist who formerly contributed to the…