Accents

Two years ago, journalist and documentarian Mikhail Arshynski received an award for a film about the 2020 political campaign at the Hinzpeter Awards Documentary Film Festival in South Korea. And now he has been invited back to the country that until recently was a brutal autocracy and very much resembled modern Belarus. Our colleague shared with BAJ his impressions of Asian democracy, his vision of the situation in our region, and the role of the media.

On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, we interviewed colleagues and friends who remain in Belarus. They talked about their hopes and dreams, explained how they take care of themselves, and what helps them not to get demoralized and keep working. Names have been changed for safety reasons.

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) organized a round-table discussion in Kyiv about repressions and the situation with the independent media in Belarus. But the debate among the participants continued on other important issues, mainly the representation of Belarus and Belarusians in the Ukrainian media and why it is beneficial for Belarusians and Ukrainians to support each other despite the factors that drive them apart.

There are at least 1,452 political prisoners in Belarus today, and this number is growing every day. Whole families often find themselves behind bars. Below, you will find stories of imprisoned journalists whose partners ended up in jail, too.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya made a global call to support independent media and journalists on the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus (February 9). February 9 will mark 1.5 years of peaceful protest against violence, lawlessness, and state terror in Belarus. "While the resistance of millions of Belarusians continues underground in various creative forms, independent media are at the forefront of the struggle. Courageous journalists, bloggers, and influential media figures keep up working in the country and exile, despite severe repression and personal insecurity."

As the crackdown on independent media in Belarus continues for a third consecutive year, the state of journalism in the country is dire. With only a handful of independent journalists remaining within the country working anonymously, and 32 of their colleagues behind bars, the future of journalism in Belarus looks bleak. The Fix analysed the state of Belarusian independent media at the end of 2022 – and tried to find bright spots.