Belarusian Association of Journalists

Articles by Belarusian Association of Journalists

Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) logo, https://baj.by/en

Belarus: Justice Ministry files lawsuit seeking the closure of the Belarusian Association of Journalists

“The BAJ is not only a legal address and a registration license but 25 years of successful work that keeps going. This is more than 1,300 media people who remain members of the BAJ despite pressure. We are confident that our community will not disappear” – BAJ

A banner advertising Belsat TV is displayed during the fifth Warsaw Security Forum in Warsaw, Poland, 24 October 2018, Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto

Belarus: Police raids target Belsat and RFE/RL journalists

Multiple journalists, prominent news organisations and rights organisations were targeted in raids on 16 July as the government’s crackdown on independent media and civil society continued.

The chair of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) Andrei Bastunets (R) and police officers leave the BAJ office after a raid by the Investigation Committee, Minsk, Belarus, 16 February 2021, -/AFP via Getty Images

Belarusian Association of Journalists targeted by Ministry of Justice

The Ministry has placed BAJ under inspection and demands that it submit thousands of documents going back to January 2018, including membership lists, records of incoming and outgoing messages, financial records, minutes of meetings and more.

Blogger Raman Pratasevich speaks to Belarusians living in Gdansk, Poland and their Polish supporters at a Solidarity with Belarus protesters rally, 31 August 2020, Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Belarusian civil society groups call for release of imprisoned blogger Raman Pratasevich

On 23 May, blogger Raman Pratasevich was detained by Belarusian security forces at Minsk National Airport, following the forced landing of a Ryanair passenger plane.

An employee at the office of the TUT.BY news portal, in Minsk, Belarus, 30 September 2020, just prior to a 3-month suspension, Natalia FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images

Belarusian authorities must stop persecuting TUT.BY and other media

On 18 May, the Financial Investigation Department raided the homes of journalists working for the independent news portal TUT.BY and other outlets; the TUT.BY website was also blocked. The authorities have a history of targeting TUT.BY journalists.

Journalists hold issues of the "Komsomolskaya Pravda" newspaper as they welcome their colleagues who were being released from a temporary detention facility, Minsk, Belarus, 4 September 2020, Natalia FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images

The Belarusian authorities should end the “witch-hunt” of the media

Over 100 media representatives sign an open letter to the Belarusian authorities, calling for an end to the persecution of the press and reminding them of Belarusians’ constitutional right to freedom of expression.

People carry posters that read 'The press is sacred', 'Stop bullying [us], we're working' and 'Blue vests are not a target', during a rally in support of journalists detained during protests, Minsk, Belarus, 3 September 2020, Natalia FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images

Belarus: Journalist Dzianis Ivashyn is a political prisoner

Belarusian rights organizations call for the immediate release of journalist Dzianis Ivashyn and all political prisoners in Belarus, and for the political repression to end.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks on Belarus via video-link during a session of the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 25 February 2021, FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

ARTICLE 19 and BAJ: UN must take further action on Belarus

“Where violations prevail, the UN must take action. As such, it is essential that this Council puts greater accountability mechanisms in place to collect and preserve evidence of crimes under international law, and ultimately ensure that perpetrators are held accountable”.