News

May 18 has become a black Tuesday for the Belarusian segment of the Internet. Disturbing news from TUT.BY newsroom has been pouring in since early morning. Detentions, website blocking, a criminal case... TUT.BY office was searched until late at night, and the staff still inside were let go one by one. We will be updating you on the main news on this high-profile case throughout the day.

Several TUT.BY editors, including chief editor Marina Zolotova, have reported that employees of the DFR (Department of Financial Investigation) came to their apartments. Security forces also came to the offices of TUT.BY and Hoster.by. Later, it was reported that a criminal case was initiated against the officials of TUT BY MEDIA LLC on the grounds of a crime under Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code (evasion of taxes and fees on an especially large scale).

Journalist Alexander Burakou, who collaborates with Deutsche Welle, received 20 days of administrative arrest for alleged "repeated participation in an unauthorized event within a year". Burakou was detained on May 12 near Mahiliou regional court building. Uladzimir Laptsevich, reporter of 6tv.by received a similar sentence — 20 days of arrest.

On 14 May, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Minsk begins to consider the “case of students” who were detained last November and accused of organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order. There are 12 accused in total: ten students from different Minsk universities, a medical graduate and a teacher at BSUIR. For more than six months they have been in jail. By the beginning of the first session, more than a hundred people had come to the courthouse, but only some of them managed to get inside. Journalists of independent media and even some relatives of the accused had to wait outside. Police asked the crowd to disperse, after which the arrests took place.

Intex-press, Baranavichy independent newspaper continues to experience pressure after publishing an interview with former presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. This is an occasion to reflect on the fundamental human rights and freedoms, to remind the authorities of the need to respect the freedom of the press, which comes from one of the basic, natural freedoms —  freedom of speech. Unfortunately, last year the situation in the media sphere has deteriorated significantly in Belarus. 

Following the pledge of the Baranovichi inter-district prosecutor's office, an interview with former presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya and its video published by Intex-press were recognized as extremist materials.