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Belarusian Association of Journalists awarded an Honorary Diploma for outstanding work for the benefit of freedom of speech and professional journalism to Iosif Siaredzich, the founder and editor in chief of Narodnaya Volya.

SITUATION IN MASS MEDIA FIELD IN JANUARY – JUNE 2019 The general situation in the Belarusian mass media field was controversial in the first half-year 2019. On the one hand, it was influenced by the overwhelming trend of reinforcing governmental control over the media space. On the other hand, due to hosting the 2nd European Games, the official authorities were pushed towards greater openness of the country. A complicated foreign policy and economic situation in Belarus, including negotiation processes with the European Union and the United States, the increasing size of external debt and pressure on the part of Russia as well as the approaching elections to the Belarusian parliament (scheduled for November 17, 2019) should be taken into account, too. 

Opening the conference on combating terrorism, Alexander Lukashenka proposed creating an "information neighborhood belt" to ensure non-interference of countries in their neighbors' information assets.

On the third anniversary of the murder of the prominent journalist, colleagues and family visited his grave at the Paunochnya Cemetery in Minsk.

The European Union and the Republic of Belarus held the 6th round of the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue on 18 June 2019 in Brussels.

Once again, a major sports event is met with criticism for being placed in a semi-authoritarian regime with bad human rights records. The EOC vice president defends the decision of awarding the European Games to Minsk but is ready to discuss how to implement broader human rights demands for countries hosting Olympic events.

A document that was allegedly sent to Svetlahorsk district collective farms and enterprises has been brought to Belsat TV attention.

Lawyers of the Belarusian Association of Journalists prepared a reminder memo of what a foreign journalist needs to know coming to the 2nd European Games in Belarus. It covers:

Olympic Officials Should Ensure Reporters’ Safety

Alexander Lukashenka signed Edict  on security measures during the European Games in Minsk (June 17 to July 2.). The document allows hotel guards to carry out body searches of tourists, while law enforcement agencies will block websites which call for unauthorized protests within 24 hours. What else is in the edict?

(Berlin) – Belarusian authorities have carried out concerted attacks on media freedom over the past two years that directly affect the climate in which news media will cover the country before, during, and after the upcoming European Games, Human Rights Watch said. The European Olympic Committees (EOC) should ensure that all journalists, foreign and local, covering the 2019 European Games, from June 21-30, in Belarus, can operate free from harassment.

The European Olympic Committees (EOC) should establish a complaints hotline for journalists during the 2019 European Games, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Belarus will host the games, a multi-sport event for more than 4,000 athletes, in Minsk from June 21-30. 

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation with human rights defenders Michel Forst visited the office of the Belarusian Association of Journalists. He met with BAJ representatives, journalists Pauliuk Bykouski, Tatsiana Karavenkova, Maryna Zolatava, and Dziyana Seradziuk.