BELARUS - Democracy Struggle Despite Silencing of the Press
In the last month since the disputed presidential elections, Belarus has presented anything but ideal working conditions for journalists. Following the allegedly falsified election results which put “Europe’s last dictator” Alexander Lukashenko to power once again, Belarus has begun to tighten its grip on journalists.
Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for 26 years, declared an early victory in the presidential elections held on August 9 in Belarus. The Election Commission, accused of acting in favor of Lukashenko, reported that the 65-year-old current president received 80.23 percent of the votes.
Belarusian Association of Journalists documented over 100 cases of detention of journalists since August 9. Detained journalists were kept in horrifying conditions, raising concern globally. The journalists were also beaten and some were deliberately targeted with rubber bullets.
Volha Shukaila. Photo by Sergei Gapon
The Coalition For Women In Journalism has been following the events unfold with great concern. While women journalists are not the sole target in the protests, the attacks against them must be recognized as women's contribution in the whole Eastern Europe region is very powerful. Since the beginning of protests we have documented at least 20 women journalists detained with three of them having their accreditation revoked.
Opposition that is formed by women candidates who appear on the political scene instead of their jailed spouses is led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who fled to Lithuania over concerns for her safety following the victory call of Lukashenko.
Since 1995, Independent observers have not considered Belarus elections to be fair and unrigged. Meanwhile, the Lukashenko government which calls women "poor things" and claims "the Constitution of Belarus is not made for a woman." is cracking down on women journalists who are trying to make the voice of Belarus heard everywhere around the world.
In the latest series of anti-government protests, several thousand women dressed mostly in red and white — the colours of the former Belarusian flag that the opposition uses as an emblem — marched through the capital of Minsk waving flags, flowers and balloons.
Nadia Buzhan. Photo by Volha Shukaila
The women, including women journalists who are covering the protests, staged what they called a march of solidarity, calling on Lukashenko and his government to step down.
Belarus, where the situation of freedom of the press is miserable, even worse than in Russia according to the RSF listing, has also sought to block people from accessing numerous websites. Women journalists amidst the attempts of censorship and silencing of the people’s voices are risking their lives to tell the whole world about the reality of which the official media in Belarus are silent. Many of the iconic images that capture the dramatic events in Minsk are made by female photographers while women journalists were among the first ones to expose the excruciating torture at detention centers.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism signed a joint statement with other international organizations calling for the EU agencies to reintroduce sanctions against Belarus given the deterioration of freedom of the press in the country.
This page is dedicated to women journalists covering protests in Belarus despite violence, detention, torture and impedement of work. You can find detailed information on women journalists reporting on the ground from our Twitter thread and our statements. Please make sure to watch our InstaLive to hear about the first hand experiences of women protesters. While we reiterate our call that journalists must be able to perform their duties to inform the public in these historic days without fear of retaliation, we congratulate women journalists in Belarus who shed a light on the events with ethical journalism and powerful pictures capturing all sides of the protests and standing with this women-led movement in Belarus.
Statements
Several women journalists have been targeted and attacked while reporting the protests in Belarus. We are keeping an eye on the situation and documenting any threats that women journalists may be facing because of their protests-related reportage.
Women journalists on the ground
Women journalists covering protests in Belarus have been providing the world with tremendously important pieces of information.The Coalition For Women In Journalism has been following these professionals closely. You can follow their work below. Click photos to see their profiles.
Resources
CFWIJ has compiled these resources for women journalists to follow, as they hit the ground for reporting. Safety guidelines and assistance programs are all listed below to help benefit journalists reporting in Belarus.
