Belarus: CFWIJ condemns the imprisonment of Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova.

February 18, 2021, Minsk- Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova were sentenced to two years imprisonment in a minimum-security penal colony. The journalists were arrested for covering a protest rally last year.

On November 15, 2020, Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova were arrested for live-streaming the police brutality during a rally held in memory of murdered dissident Raman Bandarenka. The police attempted to violently disperse the demonstrators and destroyed the memorial that the participants had set up. As a result of their coverage of state oppression, Katsyaryna and Darya were charged with ‘organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order’ (Art. 342 of the Criminal Code). The police accused them of ‘coordinating protesters and calling for further actions’, and also claimed that their actions resulted in property damage.

Katsyaryna and Darya were kept in police custody, in two different cells. And today, the Frundenski district court of Minsk ruled them guilty. Despite the defence’s case that the evidence against both the journalists was flimsy, and they were only present at the scene as part of their jobs, the judge announced a two-year-long sentence in a minimum-security penal colony. The time Katsyaryna and Darya have already spent in detention will count toward their total imprisonment time.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is horrified at the judgment. Not only should a state not curb civil liberties and free press, in the manner that the Belarusian authorities have, but even the nature of the punishment is grotesque. Sending journalists to a low-security penal colony is a deliberate attempt to put their safety at risk. In this age, when just the thought of penal colonies should be considered shameful, the Belarusian authorities have gone on to utilize it to punish journalists doing their job. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns this act in the strongest terms.