Belarus: 32 journalists will spend New Year’s Eve in prison

In 2021, 113 journalists were arrested in Belarus just for doing their job; 32 of those are still in detention. The authorities also raided 146 journalists’ homes and offices, and designated 13 media outlets as extremist.

This statement was originally published on europeanjournalists.org on 29 December 2021.

32 journalists will spend New Year’s Eve in prison in Belarus. This is one of the figures in the annual review of repression that the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) drew today. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls on the international community, including the Council of Europe, to take action.

In 2021, 113 journalists were arrested in Belarus just for doing their job. 32 are still in detention. In the same year, 146 journalists’ homes and editorial offices were searched, 13 media outlets were officially labelled as extremist, and the only independent organisation representing journalists, BAJ, was dissolved by the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

With the support of EFJ affiliates and a range of other freedom of expression organisations, BAJ will continue and even expand its activities from abroad.

“We once again call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the atrocious repression taking place in Belarus,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “As we have been asking for almost 5 years, we call on the Council of Europe to include Belarus in the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, in order to give full visibility to the ongoing repression and to hold the perpetrators accountable. We must act now!”

Here is the list of journalists and media workers in jail in Belarus: