Belarusian parliament passes raft of restrictive media regulations
New York, May 4, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a set of amendments passed by the Belarusian parliament that could severely stifle press freedom in the country. On April 21, the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, adopted amendments to the country’s Mass Media Law and to the Law on…
Belarus police detain and fine at least 16 journalists over protest coverage, ties to foreign news outlets
New York, March 30, 2021 –Belarusian authorities should immediately release journalist Andrzej Poczobut, and stop detaining and fining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Between March 18 and 27, Belarusian authorities detained at least 16 journalists and fined at least three members of the press, according to news reports, and…
Belarusian authorities detain reporter Dzianis Ivashyn; prosecute journalists for protest coverage
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 17, 2021 — Belarusian authorities must stop prosecuting and harassing members of the press, and should allow reporters to cover issues of national significance without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 12, officers of the KGB, the Belarusian security service, in the western city of Hrodna…
CPJ condemns sentencing of Belarus journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich to 6 months in jail
Vilnius, Lithuania, March 2, 2021 — In response to today’s sentencing of Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich to six months in jail and a fine over her coverage of protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s sentencing of journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich is yet another example of how the Belarusian authorities will…
CPJ condemns 2-year jail sentences for Belarus journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova
New York, February 18, 2021 – In response to today’s sentencing of Belarusian journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova to two years each in prison over their coverage of protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “These prison terms are naked political persecutions designed to bully into silence any…
Belarusian authorities raid Belarusian Association of Journalists headquarters, journalists’ homes
Vilnius, Lithuania, February 16, 2021 — Belarusian authorities should cease their raids against journalists and journalistic associations and return confiscated reporting equipment, records, and money, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, police in Belarus raided the Minsk headquarters of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), a local advocacy and trade group, and the apartments…
Belarus journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova to face trial over protest reporting
New York, February 8, 2021 – Ahead of tomorrow’s trial of Belarusian journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova over their coverage of protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Belarusian authorities should immediately drop the absurd criminal charges against journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova, and release them unconditionally,”…
Belarus authorities detain at least 6 in tax investigation of local press club
New York, January 5, 2021 – Belarusian authorities should immediately release those recently detained as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion by Press Club Belarus, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 22, authorities in Minsk detained five employees of Press Club Belarus as well as Ksenia Lutskina, an independent journalist…
Record number of journalists jailed worldwide
Editor’s note: In 2019, CPJ published a new database of attacks on the press. Numbers for each subsequent prison census are liable to adjust yearly as CPJ learns of arrests, releases, or deaths in prison. For the most recent data, see cpj.org/data/imprisoned/. The number of journalists jailed globally because of their work hit a new high in 2020…
CPJ joins calls for accountability, ending of crackdown in Belarus
New York, December 10, 2020 – Today, on International Human Rights Day, the Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other civil society groups issued a joint statement expressing deep concern about the violation of human rights and press freedom in Belarus in the wake of the August 9 presidential election, and calling Belarusian authorities to…