Belarus: At Least Nine Journalists Were Detained While Reporting The Civil Unrest Across The Country

Location: Belarus
Date: November 11, 2020

After the controversial elections won by President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, tens of thousands of people continue to flood the streets despite harsh police measures. Thousands gathered on Sunday during the 90th consecutive day of demonstrations, demanding the resignation of the nation’s president. During the protests, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) confirmed that at least nine journalists were arrested. The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces these arrests and demands the release of all detainees.

Belarus marked its 90th consecutive day of civil unrest as police cordoned off many major roads, particularly around Independence Square in Minsk. The protests that started in the capital have since spread to cities across the country. 

According to the human rights group Viasna, security forces detained at least 1,053 people over the weekend of November 7-8 at protests in Minsk and other major Belarusian cities. At least nine journalists were detained by the security forces while covering the demonstrations, according to the BAJ. 

The police arrived with a search warrant to the home of Hanna Valadashchuk, a journalist of the independent Hazeta Slonimaskaya newspaper, for her alleged link to insults aired on local Telegram channels in Slonim on November 9, 2020. 

Moreover, since the uprising started, there have been many other arrests and harassments against women journalists. Journalists Nasta Zakharevich and Ilya Dabratvor were also detained due to the protests on November 6, 2020. Nasta Zakharevich had been previously detained two months ago, staying seven days behind bars. 

In addition to the recent incidents, CFWIJ has already documented at least 40 women journalists have been detained, three of them having their accreditation revoked since the beginning of protests. The ongoing attacks against women journalists must be recognized and refuted, as women contribute greatly to the media landscape in Eastern Europe.

Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, won the presidential election held on August 9 with 80 percent of the votes. The opposition does not accept the claimed electoral votes. Lukashenko, on the other hand, continues to deny allegations of electoral fraud and refuses to relinquish power.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism continues to monitor the uprising and attacks against journalists in Belarus with great concern. One of the fundamental elements of journalism is to freely inform the public. Every step taken against journalists further threatens the freedom of the press. As the CFWIJ, we demand the immediate release of journalists and an end to the harassments that interfere with their work. We will continue to advocate that journalism is not a crime and must not be silenced.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

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