Belarus: 32 journalists will spend New Year’s Eve in prison

32 journalists will spend New Year’s Eve in prison in Belarus. This is one of the figures in the annual review of repression that the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) drew today. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) call on the international community, including the Council of Europe, to take action.

Picture credit: Petras Malukas / AFP

In 2021, 113 journalists were arrested in Belarus just for doing their job. 32 are still in detention. In the same year, 146 journalists’ homes and editorial offices were searched, 13 media outlets were officially labelled as extremist, and the only independent organisation representing journalists, BAJ, was dissolved by the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

With the support of IFJ and EFJ's affiliates and a range of other freedom of expression organisations, BAJ will continue and even expand its activities from abroad.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: "Belarusian journalists face systematic harassment, arrests, searches, and jail sentences. Almost a third of the journalists arrested this year are still behind bars. The international community must speak out to defend the freedom of press."

“We once again call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the atrocious repression taking place in Belarus,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “As we have been asking for almost 5 years, we call on the Council of Europe to include Belarus in the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, in order to give full visibility to the ongoing repression and to hold the perpetrators accountable. We must act now!”

Here is the list of journalists and media workers in jail in Belarus:

  1. Katsiaryna Andreyeva
  2. Daria Chultsova
  3. Ihar Losik
  4. Siarhei Hardzievich
  5. Ksenia Lutskina
  6. Andrei Aliaksandrau
  7. Dzianis Ivashyn
  8. Andrej Pachobut (Andrzej Poczobut)
  9. Maryna Zolatava, tut by
  10. Volha Loika, tut by
  11. Liudmila Chekina, tut by
  12. Alena Talkachova, tut by
  13. Anzhela Asad, tut by
  14. Iryna Rybalka, tut by
  15. Ala Lapatka, tut by
  16. Darya Danilava, RocketData, TAM.BY
  17. Maria Novik, tut by
  18. Aliaksandr Daineka, tut by
  19. Andrei Audzeyau, tut by
  20. Katsiaryna Tkachenka, Lawyer tut by — house arrest
  21. Iryna Kastsiuchenka, Ex-Lawyer tut by — house arrest
  22. Valerija Kastsiugova, editor of “Belarusian Yearbook”, analyst
  23. Aliaksandr Ivulin, editor of Tribuna.by
  24. Yahor Martsinovich, Nasha Niva
  25. Andrei Skurko, Nasha Niva
  26. Irina Lewshyna, director, editor-in-chief of BelaPAN
  27. Dzmitry Navazhylaw, ex-director of BelaPAN
  28. Genadz Mazheika, journalist of “Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus”
  29. Iryna Slaunikava
  30. Andrei Kuznechyk, freelancer RFE/RL
  31. Siarhei Satsuk, editor of Ej.by
  32. Aleh Hruzdzilovich, journalist RFE/RF

For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 16

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 146 countries

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