The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

17.12.2018 Reporters Without Borders: Harassment of journalists breaks records in Belarus

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Belarusian government’s international partners to react to the surge in its persecution of journalists, with nearly 100 fines imposed already this year on reporters working for exile media – an all-time record.

30.11.2018 Picks of the Week

One journalist remains charged in "BelTA case"; ex-political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka facing new judicial harassment; disabled priest wrongly detained in Minsk.

27.11.2018 Investigators drop charges against more journalists in “BelTA case”

On November 26, the Investigative Committee stopped criminal proceedings against tut.by editor Uliyana Babayed and BelaPAN political analyst Tatsiana Karaviankova, after they covered financial losses to the government-owned BelTA news agency.

23.11.2018 BelTA case: two journalists discharged, tut.by chief editor faces graver charges

Pauliuk Bykouski, Deutsche Welle reporter in Belarus, has been exempted from criminal charges of illegal access to the closed news feed of the government-owned BelTA agency, and will be tried on administrative charges, instead. Criminal charges have also been dropped against Uladzislau Kuletski, editor of the realt.by website.

15.11.2018 Harassment of journalists breaks records in Belarus – nearly 100 fines so far this year

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Belarusian government’s international partners to react to the surge in its persecution of journalists, with nearly 100 fines imposed already this year on reporters working for exile media – an all-time record.

08.11.2018 Journalists involved in BelTA case face formal charges

Eight journalists working with the tut.by and belapan.by news websites have been officially charged with “unauthorized accesses to computer information” in what is known as the “BelTA case”, Belarusian Association of Journalists said.

03.09.2018 Amnesty International condemns low point for freedom of expression in Belarus

The right to freedom of expression in Belarus has been dealt a series of severe blows in recent weeks, as the authorities’ crusade against journalists and independent media outlets continues. The latest moves by the Belarusian authorities demonstrate their resolve to eliminate all critical voices in the country and deprive people in Belarus of the opportunity to freely access, share and disseminate information and ideas.

31.08.2018 Picks of the Week

Courts convict activists over support for REP leaders; new suspect named in BelTA case; blogger in Brest live streams own arrest; political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny faces new penalties in prison

13.08.2018 Belarus cracks down on journalists and publishers as oppressive new media laws bite, UN expert warns

GENEVA (10 August 2018) – A wave of raids and arbitrary arrests targeting independent publishers and journalists in Belarus highlights oppressive new rules against internet media in the country, says the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti.

10.08.2018 Statement of the Belarusian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

In connection with the wave of searches in the editorial offices of the media and the detention of journalists

09.08.2018 BelaPAN chief editor detained, more journalists remain in custody

Iryna Leushyna, chief editor of the BelaPAN news agency, has been detained today, tut.by said. Her apartment has been searched and computer equipment seized.

08.08.2018 Four journalists still in detention, as searches of media continue

Maryna Zolatava, Hanna Kaltyhina and Halina Ulasik, editors of tut.by, the country’s leading online newspaper, as well as belapan.by journalist Tatsiana Karaviankova, remain in custody on charges of illegal access to the government-owned news agency BelTA. The whereabouts of one more tut.by editor, Hanna Yermachonak, is still unknown.

08.08.2018 Council of Europe: Liberate all arrested journalists

Searches and arrests in Belarusian media. Statement by the CoE's Spokesperson of the Secretary General

08.08.2018 Statement on searches of media outlets and arrests of journalists

On August 7, the Investigative Committee of Belarus said that it opened a criminal case under Part 2, Art. 349 of the Criminal Code (“illegal access to computer information obtained out of other personal interest, which caused significant damage”). Reports also said that the law-enforcement agencies detained journalists Maryna Zolatava, Hanna Kaltyhina, Halina Ulasik, Ulyiana Babayed (tut.by) and Tatsiana Karaviankova (BelaPAN). According to our information, several more journalists were also detained.