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At the Free Journalism Forum held on 1 December in the Seimas of Lithuania, the Hope for Freedom Award was presented to journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich, who has recently been released from prison and left Belarus.

The leader of Belarusian democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya issued a statement to be presented at the Free Journalism Forum in Vilnius (Lithuania), in which she addressed Belarusian journalists. In the video, she declared her commitment to critical comments and mentioned those behind bars.

Everyone can join: bring the things and food from the list or make a donation.

On 29 November, the Supreme Court of Belarus considered the appeal of political scientist Aliaksandr  Fiaduta challenging his sentence for “attempted coup d’etat.” As the human rights activists predicted, the appeal was denied, and the verdict was upheld – 10 years of imprisonment.

Human rights activists found out that last spring Hrodna prison administration preventively registered journalist Dzianis Ivashyn as “prone to extremism and other destructive actions.” It is known that almost all political prisoners have such a status, which once again proves the political motivation behind the criminal prosecution of Ivashyn.

Joint statement by the Belarusian human rights community

The August2020 project was created by a group of independent journalists and volunteers to collect and publish the stories of people tortured by security forces, reports Viasna Human Rights Center.

Belarusian authorities have updated the List of Organizations, Formations, and Individual Entrepreneurs Involved in Extremist Activities. Another media outlet, Hrodna.life, was added to it. The updated list is published on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Pershamaiski District Court of Vitsebsk found Zhanna Ivanova (Zhalevich) guilty of unauthorized protest under Article 24.23 of the Administrative Offenses Code.

On 15 November 2022, writer, journalist, and PEN award winner Roberto Saviano will stand trial in Rome on charges of defaming Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s Prime Minister and leader of Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, over a speech that criticized the far-right leader after she said that NGO boats attempting to rescue refugees in the central Mediterranean should be sunk and migrants left adrift at sea. Saviano is being sued under Article 595 of the Italian Penal Code, which carries up to three years in prison.

Last weekend Norwegian Association of Journalists in Bergen gathered its activists for the conference Hauststormen (Autumn Storm) to discuss working issues and plans for the future. Our fellow journalists are aware of repressions against Belarusian journalists and organize campaigns in their support.

On October 6, 2022, the Minsk Regional Court handed down a verdict in the “BelaPAN case,” the oldest independent news agency in Belarus.

“Belarusian authorities must stop using extremism legislation against former Belsat TV journalists and immediately release Lyubyanchuk and all members of the press currently behind bars.”

As it became known to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Minsk City Court judge Alena Ananich found journalist Ales Lubianchuk guilty under Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (establishment of an extremist formation or participation in it). Ales was sentenced to 3 years in prison

A court in Minsk sentenced investigative journalist Sergei Satsuk to eight years in prison on Wednesday. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) denounce this illegitimate conviction and demand his immediate release.