BAJ: Pressure on journalists is mounting

“The public association “Belarusian Association of Journalists” notes the steady deterioration of situation with freedom of speech and other socio-political rights in the country.

We witness almost simultaneous unlawful restriction of freedom of movement of BAJ members, sharp intensification of persecution by prosecutor’s office and the KGB, and distribution of untruthful and defaming information about BAJ and its members on state TV,” the website of the association informs.

Over the last few days 4 members of the BAJ have been denied the right to leave Belarus. They are BAJ Chairperson Zhanna Litvina, who was going to leave for Warsaw from airport “Minsk-2” on March 15 on a business trip; on that very day “Belsat” representative Mikhas Yanchuk was banned to leave Belarus; the same ban had been earlier imposed on the editor-in-chief of “Nasha Niva” and a BAJ member Andrey Dynko (March 14) and on human rights defender and BAJ member Valyantsin Stefanovich.

Not a single official department would give journalists any information about who have imposed these temporary restrictions on international travel. A number of political and civil activists have also faced the same problem.

These restrictions obviously violate Article 30 of the Belarusian Constitution, which guarantees citizens’ right to leave Belarus freely, as well as the “Law on order of exit from and entry to the Republic of Belarus”. Also these restrictions of journalists’ rights contradict Articles 33 and 34 of the Belarusian Constitution which guarantee the freedom of expression and dissemination of opinions.

Mass violations of freedom of expression occur in other ways: since the year began, seven journalists from Hrodna and Polatsk have received written and verbal warnings from prosecutor’s office and the KGB. One more journalist has been summoned to appear in Brest region prosecutor’s office on March 19. An alarming signal has also become the detention of foreign journalists – Swedish and Estonian camera crews, SVT and TV3, who have been accredited in Belarus.

We cannot ignore the fact that pressure on journalists and BAJ members have increased since the discrediting campaign against BAJ and its chairperson was started by the Belarusian state TV. It makes an impression that the Belarusian state TV prepares ideological ground for further attack on independent journalism in the country.

Considering all the facts mentioned above, the BAJ:

- strongly protests against introduction of limitations on journalist activities, rights and lawful interests of its members;

- demands an answer from the Department of Citizenship and Migration of the Ministry of Home Affairs and from the State Border Committee: which state establishment and on what grounds have taken the decision to ban leaving the country for a number of Belarusian citizens;

- ask the Belarusian prosecutor’s office to take actions to restore the law;

- claims that the organization will keep on doing its activities on establishing freedom of speech in the country, regardless of the pressure.