Belarus / Europe & Central Asia

  

Belarusian journalists Yauhen Yerchak and Dzmitry Suslau sentenced to 15 days each in detention

Paris, June 15, 2022 — Belarus authorities should immediately release journalists Yauhen Yerchak and Dzmitry Suslau, drop all charges against them, and allow the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On June 3, police in the eastern city of Babruysk detained Suslau, a reporter for the local weekly Kommercheskiy Kurier,…

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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,…

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Exiled Belarusian journalists face terrorism charges; former journalist detained

Paris, May 27, 2022 – Belarus authorities should drop all charges against journalists Stsypan Putsila and Yan Rudzik, immediately release detained former journalist Aliaksandr Lyubyanchuk, and stop labeling media outlets as terrorists or extremists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, May 26, law enforcement officers in the western Belarusian village of Krivichy…

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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…

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Belarusian journalist Yury Hantsarevich detained for 10 days, charged with extremism

Paris, May 9, 2022 – Belarus authorities should drop all charges against journalist Yury Hantsarevich and let the press report freely on the war in Ukraine, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 5, the pro-government Telegram channel Obratnaya Storona published a video in which Hantsarevich, a correspondent for the independent news website…

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Belarusian journalist Aksana Kolb arrested, no charges disclosed

Paris, April 20, 2022 – Belarusian authorities should release journalist Aksana Kolb immediately and drop any charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Wednesday, April 20, law enforcement officers arrested Kolb, editor of the independent weekly Novy Chas, in Minsk, the capital, and ordered her to be held for up to…

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Belarusian journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva facing up to 15 years in prison on treason charges

Paris, April 8, 2022 – Belarusian authorities should drop the treason charges against journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva, release her immediately, and stop charging and imprisoning members of the press over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. “By charging imprisoned journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva with treason, Belarusian authorities show how far they are willing to…

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Belarus court sentences journalist Yahor Martsinovich to 2.5 years in prison

Stockholm, March 15, 2022 – In response to Tuesday’s decision by the Zavodski District Court in Minsk, Belarus, to sentence journalist Yahor Martsinovich to two years and six months in prison, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Today’s sentence against Yahor Martsinovich demonstrates once again how Belarus authorities will resort…

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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…

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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…

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