Belarus: CFWIJ demands authorities to release journalist Yulia Chernyavskaya from house arrest

July 6, 2021 - A former Tut.By employee and writer, Yulia Chernyavskaya is suffering serious health problems under house arrest. Yulia’s defense is now asking for leniency in her punishment to at least allow her hospital visits. Her counsel is ready to give a personal guarantee that she will not leave her home under any other circumstances. Yulia was put under house arrest more than two months ago. According to her lawyer, the journalist needs a medical examination that is not possible under her current restrictions. CFWIJ demands that judicial authorities let Yulia visit the hospital for medical assessment and treatment. We also urge official authorities to drop the unfounded charges against the journalist and release her from all restrictions. 

Yulia was visited by state authorities on May 18, after the first anniversary of her husband’s death. Her late husband, Yuri Zisser, was the founder of Tut.By. Yulia had a hard time last year  taking care of her husband, and since he passed, new challenges entered her life. The journalist mentioned that living in her old apartment has become unbearable for her considering the sorrow and emptiness she feels now. Yulia could not take care of herself during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her health has significantly deteriorated. 

According to her defense, she needs proper medical examination and care, which is currently impossible given her house arrest. The journalist suffers from bronchial asthma and cardiac complications. Additionally, she is experiencing severe pain in her left leg from an old injury. Now, her counsel is hopeful that the investigative committee will carefully evaluate her health condition. The journalist’s legal team is hopeful that easing Yulia’s house arrest will not cause any problem for authorities. 

Yulia’s defense also argues that she was never an active part of Tut.By— not in recent years, at least. She wrote columns and hosted cultural programs a long time ago, and her coverage held no political angle. Yulia was not involved with the editorial coverage of the independent news outlet. The journalist has now collected petitions signed by friends, relatives, and former students as guarantees to support her appeal for leniency in her house arrest. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Yulia Chernyavskaya. We demand judicial authorities drop the gratuitous charges against her. CFWIJ condemns the frequent attacks on the freedom of the press in the country and denounces the violence against women journalists.