CPJ demands Belarus release journalist sentenced to prison over post-election protest coverage – JURIST
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded on Thursday that Belarusian authorities immediately release journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich and all other imprisoned journalists.
CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said emphasized that Nikalayevich’s sentencing demonstrates the ongoing persecution of journalists in the country. Said stated: “The sentencing of journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich is yet another example of the Belarusian authorities’ vindictiveness against those who covered the 2020 protests demanding President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s resignation.”
The CPJ’s statement came after the Brest Regional Court upheld a 1.5-year prison sentence for Nikalayevich, a former videographer for the independent news website Media-Polesye. The sentence stemmed from an October 3, 2024, ruling by the Pinsk City and District Court, which found him guilty under Article 342(1) of the Criminal Code for “organizing or participating in gross violations of public order.”
According to a representative of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), the charges against Nikalayevich are most likely related to his coverage of the 2020 protests, during which security forces arrested and imprisoned thousands of Belarusians, including journalists, for demanding new, free, and fair elections. Nikalayevich was first arrested on August 10, 2020, while performing his professional duties. On the day of his detention, police officers allegedly assaulted him.
After serving a brief administrative detention in November 2020, Nikalayevich left Belarus but was arrested upon his return in early 2024, becoming one of the approximately 1,400 political prisoners in the country, according to the Human Rights Center Viasna. The Belarus Ministry of Interior escalated its actions against Nikalayevich on December 6, adding him to its registry of persons allegedly involved in “extremist activities.”
The German Embassy in Minsk on Thursday expressed concern over the recent wave of arrests of journalists, calling it a tragic example of the ongoing suppression of freedom of expression in Belarus. Noting that 45 media professionals are currently in detention, the embassy stressed its commitment, as part of the Media Freedom Coalition, to closely monitor the situation and advocate for the release of those unjustly imprisoned. Similarly, the British Embassy in Belarus issued a statement the same day calling for the release of the imprisoned journalists.
A recent report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found that Belarus is the world’s fourth largest “prison for journalists.” The top four countries on the list were China (124 detained journalists, including 11 in Hong Kong), Myanmar (61), Israel (41), and Belarus (40). RSF stated that these four countries collectively hold almost half of the world’s jailed journalists.
The crackdown in Belarus began during the 2020 presidential election when authorities launched a systematic campaign against independent media. The BAJ documented 336 arrests and 60 incidents of violence against journalists in the months following the presidential vote, forcing an estimated 400 journalists into exile.
The government has since labeled most independent media outlets and the BAJ as “extremist organizations,” causing the country’s ranking in the 2024 Press Freedom Index to plummet to 167th out of 180 countries.
