This post is also available in: Norsk bokmål Русский Українська

Belarusian police are almost hunting journalists and other troublemakers. They have raided a total of 22 journalists, human rights activists and trade union members. Two of the journalists have been arrested and risk up to 3 years in prison. These are the journalists from the TV channel Belsat. Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova.

The hunt for independent journalists

Belsat is a TV channel that broadcasts from Poland. The channel is a subsidiary of TVP, which is a state-owned Polish TV channel. The purpose of this channel is to spread independent information and journalism in the former Soviet states. The channel also aims to send culture and history to the citizens in their own language to contribute to the democratization process. The channel is distributed via cable in most of Ukraine’s cable companies, while the channel cannot be found on cable TV in Belarus. Here, however, there are many who follow the channel via the internet.

After strong demonstrations throughout the autumn that arose after President Aleksandr Lukashenko allegedly won the presidential election, the authorities have taken a hard line against all opposition. The hunt for journalists, human rights activists and trade unionists is an attempt to silence Aleksandr Lukashenko’s critics. Amnesty claims that systematic torture is used against imprisoned oppositionists and journalists in Belarusian prisons.

Respect for independent journalism

A country where the authorities control journalism and persecute the part of journalism that is critical of the authorities is not a free country. There is only one word and that is dictatorship. After the election last autumn, we saw a president who uses all means to keep his power. Please read my blog about the election.

Release journalists Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova. Stop hunting critics of a dictatorship. Time has run out for dictatorships in Europe. The people of Belarus are demanding change.

Sources:

Belsat: Trial of Belsat journos Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova resumed in Minsk

Journalisten: Raids against journalists and activists in Belarus

ABC Nyheter: Amnesty: Brutality in Belarus continues unabated

Amnesty: The brutal police violence against peaceful demonstrators in Belarus must stop. Demand that police violence end – sign the campaign now!