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VIENNA, 20 June 2020 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern over a series of detentions of journalists on 19 June, who were covering public gatherings in Belarus.

Friday, June 19, was the last day when signatures for nomination of presidential candidates could be collected in Belarus. A series of pickets was held all across the country.  Many people took to the streets to participate in the peaceful protests against the policy of Alexander Lukashenka. The arrested journalists were covering these protests. Police officers and riot police (omon) arrested the protesters and the journalists covering the events.

Пасля сустрэчы з Віктарам Бабарыкам у Салігорску міліцыя затрымала журналістаў тэлеканала “Белсат” Аляксандра Баразенку і Галіну Абакунчык.

Halina Abakunchyk was accused of working for foreign media without accreditation.

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.