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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Belarusian government’s international partners to react to the surge in its persecution of journalists, with nearly 100 fines imposed already this year on reporters working for exile media – an all-time record.

The final amount of financial damages made by the journalists to the state-owned news agency BelTA, will be given later. This is what Yulia Hancharova, official representative of the Investigation Committee, told BAJ. According to Hancharova, official charges were served to 14 people.

On November 5, some suspects in the “BelTA case” were served official charges.

The same very day some of the journalists suspected in BelTA case were served formal charges.

Since 2007, each November 5 IFJ's campaign "Stand Up for Journalism" draws attention to the main threats faced by journalists all over the world.

On Wednesday, 31 October, representatives of the Belarusian non-governmental and human rights organizations met with Mr. Johannes Hahn, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy. The meeting was also attended by the EU’s official representative in Belarus, Ms. Andrea Wiktorin. Председатель Белорусской ассоциации журналистов Андрей Бастунец также принимал участие в встрече. У сустрэчы браў удзел старшыня Беларускай асацыяцыі журналістаў Андрэй Бастунец.

The Ministry of Information sent an impudent response signed by deputy minister Pavel Liohki to BAJ inquiry about an accreditation procedure for mass media at the Ministry. The Belarusian Association of Journalists will appeal against the document.

Mikola Balaban, Ukrainian journalist and founder of the The Village Ukraine, who came to Minsk for Media Management and IT Forum, was detained in Minsk.

Alexander Huseu, district inspector of Homel Central police department, informed freelance journalist Maria Bulavinskaya about the report he had made on her under Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code for production of a documentary "Homeless city" without accreditation.

The journalist Volha Czajczyc had to spend several hours in the Baraulyany police department.

The government of Belarus continues to refrain from cooperating with the UN Human Rights Committee, the Committee’s president Yuval Shany said during the presentation of the country’s first report in 20 years.

Amid deteriorating media freedom in Belarus, MEPs condemn the repeated detention and state harassment of journalists and independent news outlets in the country, according to a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on October 4.

On October 1, representatives of the national human rights coalition presented their alternative report on the human rights situation in Belarus. The preparation of the report involved 12 human rights organizations.