Archive

On June 10, journalist Zmitser Mitskevich and cameraman Syarhei Kavaliou who were livestreaming a picket in support of incumbent president Alyaksandr Lukashenka were detained in the Belarusian city of Hrodna.

On May 27, the authorities wrapped up the public discussion of the draft Code of Administrative Offences (CAO) and the Procedural and Executive Code of Administrative Offences (PECAO). As part of the discussion, the Belarusian Association of Journalists proposed a number of important amendments to the draft laws that can significantly improve the rights of citizens in the field of mass media.

The Central Election Commission of Belarus has created a Supervisory Board for the period of the election campaign to monitor compliance with the procedure and rules for conducting election campaigning in the media.

Statement by the human rights community of Belarus on the criminal charges against Siarhei Tsikhanouski and six other participants in the May 29 picket in Hrodna

On June 5, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya‘s initiative group collected signatures for her nominating a presidential candidate in the town of Zhodzina. A Belsat TV crew started livestreaming the event at 15.30.

On June 4, Alena Dubovik, a freelance journalist who contributes to Belsat, and cameraman Ales Barazenka were detained in the town of Babruysk where they were covering wannabe presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s pre-election picket.

Belarus appeared among the few European countries that refused to announce a lock-down in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. But for that, the government rejected the seriousness of this deadly disease for a long period of time.The President of Belarus Aliaksandr Lukashenka called the pandemic a 'psychosis' and 'infodemia' and called on the Ministry of Information and law enforcement agencies to fight the spread of 'hype' on the subject of coronavirus.

Names of journalists, judges, dates, sums of fines imposed on journalists in 2014 - 2020 for administrative article 22.9 (unlawful production and distribution of mass media products).

State propaganda accuses independent colleagues of misinformation and whipping up public hysteria, authorities threaten them with warnings and fines. At the same time, officials meet the journalists with a wall of silence. It is extremely difficult to get either their comments, or official responses to media enquiries. Belarusian Association of Journalists asked colleagues from different media to tell their stories on how officials denied them information.

On May 26, Zmitser Lupach, a journalist from the town of Hlybokaye, appeared before Sharkaushchyna district court.

Journalists Alexander Burakou and Ales Asiptsou were released from temporary detention center in Mahiliou. Both journalists served ten days of jail for alleged participation in unauthorized mass events.

Mahiliou police arrested freelance journalist Alexander Burakou Jr.

Human Rights House Foundation is observing with increasing concern the wave of arrests and disappearances of human rights defenders and journalists across Belarus. Against the backdrop of worrying increases in COVID-19 infections and the August 2020 Presidential elections, the actions by Belarusian authorities to intimidate human rights defenders and limit the spread of information by independent journalists are alarming.

At the moment, 4 journalists are serving arrests under Art. 23.34 Part 1 "Violation of the order of organization or holding mass events." 

Today judge Aksana Ratnikava (Leninski district court of Mahiliou) sentenced journalist Mikhail Arshynski to11 days of arrest for violation of Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (participation in an unauthorized mass event). This way, Mikhail will spend the total of 21 days behind bars - on May 11, he got another 10 days in jail for alleged participation in an unsanctioned meeting.