Belarus: CFWIJ condemns unjustified imprisonment of Irina Slavnikova
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November 1, 2021- Irina Slavnikova, a Belsat TV representative, was illegally detained at Minsk airport as she arrived with her husband from Egypt before being sent to prison for 15 days by court. Under charges of sharing “extremist” content on her social media, the journalist was held in temporary detention at Akrestsin Street in Minsk, along with her husband, and then moved to jail.
Belsat TV reported that relatives who went to pick Irina could not see her at the airport when they went to receive her on October 29, 2021. On November 1, 2021 it was reported that the journalist and her husband were sent to prison for 15 days by a Minsk court.
Belsat TV has suffered the wrath of state authorities for its critical reporting. The channel has actively covered the protests that erupted after last year's controversial election in August 2020. Since then several of its journalists have been detained and charged. Often authorities confiscated their equipment as well leaving journalists unable to perform their duty. In July 2021, Belfast TV was reportedly declared “extremist” by the authorities, who blocked its website and all social media accounts.
The action taken against Belarus TV was not an isolated one. Several news websites and independent media platforms were shut during a sweeping crackdown by Belarus authorities after mass protests against the outcome of the elections, which the opposition claims were rigged and Alexander Lukashenko claims to have won by a landslide.
Before Irina was produced before the court, deputy director for Belsat TV Aleksey Dikovitskiy shared the news of her detention on his Facebook account. He wrote, "Border guards and customs officers told Irina's father that they had not detained anyone". He shared his concerns regarding the absence of Irina and her phone is also switched off.
According to Irina's father's statement, she and her husband were cleared from all the necessary control procedures at the airport. He suspected that Irina might have been detained by security forces after she exited from the airport.
Later it was confirmed officially that the journalist was in fact detained along with her husband Alyaksandr Loiko and was being temporarily held at Akrestsin street in Minsk. Law enforcement authorities have allegedly detained them for commuting an administrative offence. The news was shared with Irina's father when he reached the airport to file a complaint about her disappearance.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the persistent legal harassment of women journalists in the country. We have formulated a detailed report consisting of the recent cases of threats and violations against women journalists. It is a highly alarming pattern and we urge state officials to take necessary measures to end targeting critical voices. The CFWIJ demands that Irina Slavnikova is immediately released and so are the several other women journalists facing persecution for doing their job.
