"Reporters Without Borders" Spoke In Defense Of Belarusian Journalists

The international organization called on the authorities to stop the persecution of independent journalists.

The international organization Reporters Without Borders called on Belarusian authorities to stop the increase of judicial and financial harassment of independent journalists, Radio Svaboda reports.

The report, published on May 18, notes that since early 2018, journalists have been fined at least 48 times; the employees of the TV channel Belsat, which broadcasts from Poland, have suffered the most(46 times).

For example, only for a week from 8 to 14 May, at least 10 fines were imposed for working without accreditation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. For comparison, journalists were fined 10 only times for the entire 2016, and 69 times in 2017.

In particular, last year, Homel independent journalist Kanstantsin Zhukouski, who cooperates with Belsat, was fined 10 times, and this year – eight times already (by 2.300 euros). This week, Zhukouski has already received the fifth summons to the court.

Reporters Without Borders point to a "vicious circle": the persecution forces independent media outlets to work from abroad, but journalists are fined if they do not have Foreign Ministry accreditation. At the same time, "the authorities rejected numerous Belsat’s requests" to allow opening an office in Minsk and the accreditation of correspondents." As a result, journalists are forced to work illegally, have problems with security and obtaining official information.

"The increase in the the number of fines imposed since the beginning of the year demonstrates a purposeful campaign to silence Belsat journalists," – Johan Beer, head of the Reporters Without Borders department for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said.

According to him, Belarus’ international partners must put pressure on the authorities immediately to put an end to the judicial and financial prosecution of independent journalists. "The requirement for accreditating foreign media must be abolished," – Beer stresses.

Belarus ranks 155th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders media freedom index.

Earlier, the European Federation of Journalists has also stated that the working conditions of journalists in Belarus cannot be considered free today and that the authorities of Belarus are carrying out a repressive campaign against freelance journalists who cooperate with foreign media.

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