Accents

The new office of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that opened a few days ago in Vilnius will focus on covering developments in Belarus. Jamie Fly, president of the radio station, told BAJ about his team’s mission and why attempts to regulate information are doomed to failure.

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.

Despite all repressions, the second Free Journalism Forum was held in Vilnius and attended by Belarusian media experts and reporters. Although the news setting is now imbued with pessimistic reports, the present and future of independent media were extensively discussed at the event, which was definitely encouraging.

The chair of the Belarusian Association of Journalists says reporting is harder than ever because of government crackdowns and war in neighbouring Ukraine.