Articles by Belarusian Association of Journalists
BAJ delegation participates in Belarus Freedom of Expression Coordination Group meeting
The group is committed to advocating for discussions on the situation in Belarus at the international level, providing support for independent media, and protecting journalists.
Day of solidarity with Belarus’s political prisoners
Rights organisations will take part in a day of solidarity with Belarus’s political prisoners on 21 May. BAJ explains the importance of the day and provides a schedule of events.
OSCE and IFEX members condemn designation of BAJ as “extremist organisation”
On 28 February, the Belarusian State Security Committee recognised the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) as an “extremist organisation”. BAJ is the first Belarusian human rights organisation to receive this status.
Belarus: Journalist Andrzej Poczobut sentenced to 8 years in prison
Poczobut was found guilty of allegedly encouraging actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus and inciting ethnic hostility. Arrested in March 2021, he refused to sign a petition asking Lukashenka for a pardon.
Belarus in 2022: The targeting of journalists and media continues
BAJ’s review of 2022 highlights 33 journalists in prison, 17 heavy prison sentences, and nine media outlets classified as “extremist organisations”.
“We don’t want Belarus to become an information black hole”
Press freedom experts met in Lithuania to discuss Belarus’s ongoing crackdown on independent media, which has seen approximately 400 journalists forced into exile and 32 still behind bars.
BAJ raises journalist Dzianis Ivashyn’s case with UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression
Arrested in March 2021 and facing up to three years in prison if convicted on the dubious charge of “interference in the activities of an internal affairs officer”, Ivashyn has spent part of his detention in solitary confinement, where he also suffered a heart attack.
Belarus: Journalist Darya Chultsova released after two years in penal colony
In 2020, Belsat TV journalist Darya Chultsova was convicted – along with journalist Katsaryna Andreyeva – of dubious public order offences after she covered anti-Lukashenka protests in Minsk.