News on the topic: mass media
11.05.2017 BAJ Urges State Bodies to Provide Info on Patriots’ Case
The Belarusian Association of Journalists filed a petition to the Investigative Committee, the General prosecutor’s office and the KGB, demanding to hold a press conference for all mass media and present official information concerning the investigation into the criminal cases widely discussed lately, the so-called cases of “Bely Legion” and the “case of patriots”.
22.08.2016 Human Rights Watch urges Belarus to free Turkmen dissident
Belarusian authorities are holding a former journalist from Turkmenistan on an extradition request by the Turkmen government, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday. They should immediately release the former journalist, Chary Annamuradov, and under no circumstances extradite or otherwise return him to Turkmenistan, where he would face torture and ill-treatment in custody.
07.07.2016 No choice in media coverage of elections, BAJ leader says
On July 4, the chairperson of BAJ Andrei Bastunets took part in the conference on "Media Freedom as a Cornerstone for Democratic Elections", organized by PACE jointly with the Venice Commission in Berlin.
17.05.2016 Amendments to Internet Control Prepared Secretly from the Public
On April 21, in the annual speech addressed to the Belarusian people, Aliaksandr Lukashenko told that the Ministry of Information had been charged with a task to draft a new law to control the Internet.
18.04.2016 Journalist in Homieĺ convicted over story she didn’t shoot
On April 15, the Court of Homieĺ’s Centraĺny district heard the administrative charges brought against local journalists Kanstantsin Zhukouski and Larysa Shchyrakova. They were accused of violating Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code, illegal manufacture of media products.
18.04.2016 RSF: Harassment of two journalists is test for international community
Reporters Without Borders condemns the way judicial authorities in the southeastern city of Homyel are hounding freelance journalists Kastus Zhukouski and Larysa Shchyrakova and urges the European Union to condition its rapprochement with Belarus on specific progress in respect for media freedom.
09.02.2016 Human rights activist asks Prosecutor's Office to check publication on government-run website for extremism
Tatsiana Reviaka, member of the Board of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, has sent an appeal to the Prosecutor’s Office of Mahilioŭ asking the officials to check a publication on the website vecherniy-mogilev.by, which she says may contain elements of extremism.
28.01.2016 OSCE Representative condemns police violence against journalist in Belarus
VIENNA, 27 January 2016 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned an attack against a journalist by police officers in Belarus, and called on the authorities to ensure journalists’ safety.
15.01.2016 EFJ president: It is worrying that the government is renewing this bad practice with a new wave of prosecution against freelance journalists
Belarus continues its bad practice by handing over the first fine of the year on 13 January to freelance journalist, Larysa Shchyrakova, for working with “foreign media”. Following the ruling, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) have called for an immediate appeal of the ruling and urged the government to scrap the existing law.
15.01.2016 Homieĺ court fines journalist for ‘illegal production of media products’
On January 12, the Homieĺ District Court sentenced local journalist Larysa Shchyrakova to a fine of 4.6 mln rubles on charges of violating Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal manufacture of media products, and working without accreditation for foreign media).
12.01.2016 BAJ Appeals to President's Administration Regarding Persecution of Freelancers
The Belarusian Association of Journalists sent a request to the President’s Administration with the view to clarifying the reasons for the renewed persecution against some journalists under article 22.9.
11.01.2016 Ongoing harassment of freelance journalists in Homieĺ
Kanstantsin Zhukouski, a freelance reporter working for the Belsat TV channel is facing administrative charges (in two separate episodes in Karma and Kalinkavičy) for alleged violation of Art. 22.9 of the Administrative Code (illegal production and distribution of media products). The journalist is expected to face another charge coming from the Vietka district police department.
05.01.2016 Freelance journalist in Homieĺ faces fresh charges for working without accreditation
On December 24, journalist Larysa Shchyrakova was charged with illegal manufacture of media products (Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code) for the TV channel “Belsat”.
07.12.2015 Freelance journalist complains to UN Human Rights Committee
Larysa Shchyrakova, a freelance journalist and representative of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) in Homieĺ, has complained to the UN Human Rights Committee about the violations of her right to receive and disseminate information (freedom of expression), and the right to defense in court (a fair trial).
29.10.2015 BAJ issues report on media coverage of presidential election
The report presents the findings of the monitoring of the 2015 presidential election coverage in the Belarusian state run and independent media.
