The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has taken a bold stand, demanding on Thursday that the Belarusian authorities release journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich and all journalists imprisoned unjustly. This urgent appeal underscores a disturbing reality: the ongoing and relentless persecution of reporters in Belarus.
Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, articulated the gravity of the situation, stating, “The sentencing of journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich is yet another glaring testament to the Belarusian authorities’ vindictiveness against those who dared to cover the 2020 protests – protests that called for the resignation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.” The tone of her words echoes a long-standing narrative of repression.”
This statement from CPJ follows the disconcerting decision by the Brest Regional Court, which upheld a 1.5-year prison sentence against Nikalayevich, a former videographer for the independent news outlet Media-Polesye. The roots of this sentence trace back to an October 3, 2024, ruling by the Pinsk City and District Court. Here, they found Nikalayevich guilty under Article 342(1) of the Criminal Code, a charge related to “organizing or participating in gross violations of public order.” The implications of such accusations in a climate of fear and control are chilling.
A representative from the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) revealed that the charges against Nikalayevich are likely tied to his courageous coverage of the 2020 protests. During this period, security forces swept through the streets, arresting thousands of citizens, including journalists, who demanded free and fair elections. Nikalayevich, caught in the crosshairs of state hostility, was first arrested on August 10, 2020, while executing his professional duties. Reports indicate he faced police brutality on that fateful day.
After enduring a brief administrative detention in November 2020, Nikalayevich initially fled the country, only to face arrest upon his return in early 2024. His plight places him among approximately 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus, according to estimations from the Human Rights Center Viasna. On December 6, the Ministry of Interior heightened its campaign against him by adding Nikalayevich to its list of individuals deemed involved in “extremist activities.”
On the same day, the German Embassy in Minsk expressed alarm over the escalating number of arrests involving journalists, labeling it a tragic illustration of the deepening repression of freedom of expression in Belarus. A staggering 45 media professionals currently remain incarcerated, and the embassy, in conjunction with the Media Freedom Coalition, reaffirms its dedication to monitoring the situation and advocating for the release of those unjustly detained. Likewise, the British Embassy in Belarus echoed these concerns, urging the release of imprisoned journalists.
A recent report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) sheds light on a harrowing statistic: Belarus ranks as the world’s fourth largest “prison for journalists.” The list reveals a grim reality where, among the top four nations—China, Myanmar, Israel, and Belarus—collectively hold nearly half of the globe’s incarcerated journalists.
The roots of Belarus’s crackdown on journalism trace back to the tumultuous 2020 presidential elections, when the government unleashed a systematic assault on independent media. The BAJ recorded a staggering 336 arrests and 60 instances of violence against journalists in the tumultuous months that followed the elections, leading to approximately 400 journalists being forced into exile.
In this atmosphere of oppression, most independent media outlets and the BAJ have been branded as “extremist organizations.” This designation has plunged Belarus’s ranking in the 2024 Press Freedom Index to a dismal 167th out of 180 countries, painting a grim portrait of the state of press freedom in the nation.
