Journalist’s health steeply deteriorated during four years behind bars

Location: Belarus, Minsk
Date: August 16, 2024

Women Press Freedom welcomes the long-overdue release of journalist Ksenia Lutskina, who was freed following a presidential pardon by Lukashenka, which included 30 prisoners. During her imprisonment Lutskina developed a brain tumor, Women Press Freedom continuously condemned her unjust treatment and demanded her release. While this may appear to be a gesture of leniency from Lukashenka, it fails to address the ongoing repression in Belarus. Journalists, activists, and opposition figures continue to be persecuted, with many still imprisoned or forced into exile. The release of these prisoners, many of whom are elderly or in poor health, highlights the inhumane conditions they endured, with their well-being used as a bargaining chip by the regime. Although Lutskina’s release is a relief, the broader issue of press freedom in Belarus remains troubling. True justice will only be realized when all political prisoners, including seven women journalists, are freed, and the repression of free speech ends.

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On August 16, 2024, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka signed a decree pardoning 30 political prisoners, including Ksenia Lutskina, a former employee of the state-run Belteleradiocompany.

In 2022, Lutskina was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony for her involvement with the Coordination Council, a group formed during the 2020 protests against Lukashenka's regime. After joining a strike at Belteleradiocompany and resigning from her role as a correspondent for "Belarus 2," she collaborated with other former journalists to launch an alternative television channel on YouTube. Lutskina was detained on December 22, 2020, and her home was searched for four hours, with police seizing her devices and documents. She was charged with conspiracy to seize state power and later with large-scale tax evasion.

Lutskina’s release, though welcomed, came at a personal cost. While imprisoned, she developed a brain tumor and her health deteriorated.

In a statement to state TV following her release, Lutskina shared that petitioning for a presidential pardon was “the most difficult thing I have written in my life.” Nonetheless, she expressed joy at finally reuniting with her family, saying, “I will finally be able to hug my son.”

State-run media in Belarus have portrayed these pardons as acts of Lukashenka's benevolence, but human rights groups like Viasna emphasize that these releases do not indicate a reduction in political repression. In July 2024 alone, 170 people were convicted of politically motivated crimes, and around 1,400 political prisoners remain detained, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, protest leader Maria Kalesnikava, and Syarhey Tsikhanouski, the husband of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. According to Women Press Freedom’s documentation, seven women journalists remain imprisoned in Belarus — Katsiaryna Andreyeva, Lyudmila Chekina, Marina Zolotova, Valeria Kostyugova, Iryna Slavnikova, Alena Tsimashchuk and Larysa Shchyrakova .

“Every time I hear about women journalists being imprisoned or released, I first think about their health,” Belarusian journalist Nasta Pilyugina tells Women Press Freedom. “If they are released, I am always happy they can now rehabilitate and no longer endure torture. In Belarusian prisons, women often lose their sight and reproductive health, likely irreversible damage.”

While Women Press Freedom welcomes Ksenia Lutskina’s release, it shows just how dire conditions remain for those still incarcerated. Press freedom in Belarus remains under siege, and international pressure must continue to ensure the release of all journalists, activists, and opposition figures unjustly detained.

Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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