May 24, 2021 – Belsat TV programme host Arina Malinovskaya, who left Belarus due to possible persecution, was threatened with her relatives. Arina was called and threatened by the Belarusian authorities to return to the country. She was told that until her return, her relatives would be kept in detention. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is devastated by the state policies to intimidate journalists in the country. We demand the Belarusian authorities an immediate end to the outrageous crackdown on press freedom.

The Belsat TV, ‘Frankly Speaking’ host, Arina Malinovskaya, who left Belarus over possible persecution, was threatened with her relatives. The journalist was called by an investigator through her brother-in-law, Valyantsin Kucharenka’s phone on May 25 and told that he and his friend were detained and threatened to take custody. He also added the authorities plan of taking her grandparents to custody depending on her return to the country. 

The day after the incident, Kucharenka phoned the journalist again saying he would keep him in custody until she comes back. According to Belsat TV, he was released shortly, however, no one reached him after his detention.

The Poland-based TV also included the transcription of Arina’s phone calls and shared the audio on its Telegram channel. 

On May 21, the security forces searched for the journalist and raided a place where Arina temporarily lived. She was also sought through her relatives and friends. Earlier that day, police raided Belsat TV studio in Minsk and detained six staff. After a three-day detention, TV staff were sentenced to 15 days administrative arrest over charges of “disobeying lawful orders of an official.”

Since the dubious presidential election of August 9, 2020, the dust has yet to settle in Belarus. Following the election results, which reaffirmed “Europe’s last dictator”, Alexander Lukashenko, in power, Belarus tightened its restrictions on journalists.

Massive crackdown against the independent newsrooms and media outlets continues. On May 25, four journalists of the independent website Tut.by, two of them women, were detained in Minsk and released in the evening. 13 employees of the outlet, in which six of them women, remain in custody. 

The CFWIJ reported ten different cases against journalists in Belarus within a month. On May 13, police detained photographer Tatsyana Kapitonava while she was covering a conference at the Startup Family coworking centre, in Minsk. Police took the photographer when she was filming the Emerge conference. After her appearance in the court, Tatsyana was sentenced to 10 days of detention over charges of participating unauthorised demonstration. Also, Tut.by reporter Lyubov Kasperovich found guilty over the same charge Tatsyana was convicted of. She was sentenced to 15 days of detention on May 17.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is extremely concerned about the latest storm of the crackdown against journalists in Belarus. We strongly condemn these practices aiming to intimidate journalists. We urge the global community to take action against the human rights violations rampant in the country.