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.
Belarus: Journalist Tatsiana Bublikava on Why Silence is Deadly article19.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from article19.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Lukashenko regime s persecution of Belarus journalists
For months, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have staged protests against strongman Alexander Lukashenko. The president has used the country s security agencies to intimidate dissidents and persecute journalists.
Belarus security forces have cracked down on protests and dissent (November 2020)
Yulia Slutskaya is a well-known Belarus journalist with a proven track record. She founded the independent Press Club Belarus, an organization that seeks to advance the country s independent media landscape and receives funding from the EU. But her media work came to a halt when security officers asked Slutskaya to use a different customs exit at Minsk airport on November 22, 2020, vanishing without a trace.
Belarus: Wo Journalisten zur Zielscheibe werden msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.