Belarussian Journalism and the 2006 Presidential Election Campaign

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The report documents measures taken by the authorities to target and intimidate Belarus media over the years and reveals the conditions under which Belarus journalists are forced to work daily and how the pressure on journalists has been amplified in the run up to the Presidential election.

The report cites in particular:
• The arrest of over 30 Belarusian journalists and eight foreign journalists, during and immediately after the Presidential election;
• Complete censorship of state media, which has been used as propaganda and consistently portrayed Lukashenko as the defender of peace and stability while opposition figures have been cast as harbingers of chaos, poverty and lawlessness;
• Numerous attempts to intercept distribution of private newspapers during the election campaign;
• The exclusion of the majority of remaining private media from access to the state printing and distribution systems since January, forcing newspapers to print in Russia and transport across border.

The publication of this report was supported by the International Media Support

For further information contact Oliver Money-Kyrle on +32 2 235 22 00
The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countries