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On August 27, the Investigative Committee summoned by the suspects in the “BelTA case”.

August 23 Ales Lipai, 52, founder of the independent news agency BelaPAN, died in Minsk after a long struggle with disease. The funeral will take place on August 26 in Rudzensk. The Belarusian Association of Journalists expresses condolences to the family and colleagues.

A range of amendments was introduced into the Belarusian mass media legislation in June 2018. They tightened governmental control over the media field and the Internet in particular. However, it should be noted that even before that the state regulation in this field had been one of the strictest in the region. It is worth mentioning the restricted access to a popular Web-site charter97.org in Belarus, criminal cases, connected to the freedom of expression of opinions, and the reinforced pressure on freelance journalists for their cooperation with foreign media among the events and tendencies in the Belarusian mass media field in the first half-year 2018. There were continued arbitrary detentions of journalists and registered other obstacles to their activity. All that was taking place against the background of the commenced dialogue between Belarus and the EU and the statements about liberalization in the country, delivered by Belarusian authorities.

The Investigative Committee claims, 'after conducting a complex of urgent investigative and other procedural actions in the criminal case the decision was made to release Hanna Kaltyhina, Halina Ulasik, Hanna Yermachonak and other individuals involved'.

Tatsyana Karavyankova, a commentator on international affairs at news agency BelaPAN, was released from custody, BAJ press secretary Barys Haretski said on Facebook on Thursday evening.

On August 7, 2018, the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus disseminated information on the initiation of a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 349 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (unauthorized access to computer information, committed with a different personal interest, which caused significant harm). Over the past two days, offices were searched by a number of Belarusian media: BelaPAN, Tut.by, the newspaper Kultura, Realt.by.

ARTICLE 19 condemns the recent wave of police raids on independent media outlets in Belarus, resulting in the detention of several journalists, at least seven of which remain in detention. We call on the government of Belarus to immediately and unconditionally release all detained journalists and to refrain from further harassment.

Міжнародная і Еўрапейская федэрацыі журналістаў (IFJ / EFJ) падтрымала заклікі сябра-арганізацыі Беларускай асацыяцыі журналістаў (БАЖ) неадкладна вызваліць групу журналістаў, затрыманую пасля рэйдаў Следчага камітэта.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns today’s police raids on two leading independent media outlets in Minsk – the news agency BelaPAN and the news website Tut.by – which paralyzed their operations for several hours.

On the morning of 7 August, the Investigative Committee came with search warrants to the offices of Tut.by portal and news agency BelaPAN, as well as to the apartments of some journalists of these media. We currently know about the arrests of seven journalists.

August 7 Investigation Committee of Belarus spread information on the launch of a criminal case under Article 349 Part 2 of the Belarus Criminal Code (unauthorized access to computer information, made out of personal interest that caused significant damage). The police arresed journalists Maryna Zolatava, Hanna Kaltyhina, Halina Ulasik, Ulyana Babayed (Tut.by) and Tatsiana Karavenkova (BelaPAN). We know of detentions of several more journalists.

Several floors of the TUT.BY portal office located in the Omega Tower business center in Minsk are being searched.