Statistics and lists of detainees

The Belarusian authorities are more and more consistent in using the repressive tool of imposing fines on the journalists who work with foreign media without accreditation. This is a serious problem for independent journalists in Belarus. BAJ member Aliaksandr Yanusik visualized the data on the fines received by the journalists under Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code.

The list includes incidents which the Belarusian Association of Journalists regards as violations of journalists' rights, committed by representatives of the authorities.

101 the number of detained journalists in 2017 69 the number of fines to freelance journalists for cooperation with foreign media without press accreditations in 2017 24 235 EUR the total sum of fines, imposed on journalists for cooperation with foreign mass media in 2017 47 million EUR the total sum of grants to the state-owned media from the state budget in 2017

The list includes incidents which the Belarusian Association of Journalists regards as violations of journalists' rights, committed by representatives of the authorities. * CoAV – Code of Administrative Violations art. 23.4 – Disobedience to police’s demands art. 23.34 – Violating the procedure for organizing or holding a mass event art. 22.9 – The law stipulates that a foreign mass medium’s journalist means “a natural person engaged in collection, editing, creation (preparation) of informational reports and/or materials for a legal person which is entrusted with functions of the editorial board of the mass medium, registered outside the Republic of Belarus, who is connected with this legal person through labor relations and has accreditation in the Republic of Belarus.” art. 17. 1 – Minor hooliganism. art. 24.6 - Evasion of appearing to the investigative or judicial execution body upon a summons without a reasonable excuse. art. 23.4 - Disobedience to police’s demands art. 9.21 - Violation of copyright and related rights, industrial propriety rights