IFJ 25 May 2021
Belarus: an act of state terrorism to arrest a journalist
On 23 May, the Belarusian authorities forced a civilian plane to perform an emergency landing in Minsk, Belarus capital and arrested Belarussian blogger Raman Pratasevich. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) have condemned what they call an act of air piracy and state terrorism . They demand his immediate release and those of 28 journalists and media actors currently detained in Belarus. Screenshot video Raman Pratasevich
Raman Pratasevich, 26, is a blogger and former editor of the popular opposition Telegram channel NEXTA and editor-in-chief of Belarus of the Brain, another Telegram channel. Both have covered protests against Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko s disputed election in August 2020. Pratasevich had fled Belarus in 2019, fearing prosecution and currently lives in Vilnius, Lithuania.
People hold posters reading ‘Where do Belarusian journalists end up when they go to work?’, ‘They did their job and ended up in Okrestina’ [detenion centre], and ‘Free Minsk From Violence’ during a rally in support of detained journalists, Minsk, Belarus, 3 September 2020, Natalia FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images At least 11 journalists and media workers remain in detention, among them Katsiaryna Barysevich, Daria Chultsova, Yulia Slutskaya, Alla Sharko, Siarhei Alsheuski, Sergey Olshevski, Petr Slutski, Ksenia Lutskina, Andrei Aliaksandrau, Katsiaryna Andreeva and Aliaksandr Mikrukou.
This statement was originally published on europeanjournalists.org on 5 February 2021.
Ahead of the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus on 7 February, the undersigned organisations working in the field of freedom of expression and media freedom call for the immediate and unconditional release of all journalists and media workers who continue to be arbitrarily d
International Day of Solidarity with Belarus
Index and 16 other organisations call for all imprisoned journalists to be immediately released
05 Feb 2021
Protests in Belarus in 2020, photo: Max Katz
Ahead of the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus on 7 February, the undersigned organisations working in the field of freedom of expression and media freedom call for the immediate and unconditional release of all journalists and media workers who continue to be arbitrarily detained.
Nearly six months since President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in what has been widely acknowledged and condemned as a fraudulent election, opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya remains in exile and thousands of protesters continue to take to the streets of Minsk calling for his resignation.