Belarus: CFWIJ welcomes the release of Katsiaryna Barysevich after six months of unjustified imprisonment

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May 20, 2021- Staff correspondent for independent news website “Tut.by” Katsiaryna Barysevich was finally released from prison after completing her sentence period on May 19. She was arrested in November 2020 on the accusations of violating medical confidentiality in one of her articles. Katsiaryna has written the factual details behind the murder of a man named, Raman Bandarenka in her article. Raman was beaten by the unidentified people in Mink and later died in the hospital emergency room. Prior to her arrest, Katsiaryna was reporting on countrywide protests that erupted after the presidential election on August 9, 2020. She was sentenced for six months in prison on March 2, 2021, with a fine of 2880 Belarussian rubles (1150$). On November 19, 2020, plain-clothed, masked police officers entered the journalists’ apartment in Minsk and detained her after the search. Katsiaryna was kept in the KGB pre-trial detention center. The journalist was even denied her lawyers’ visit. CFWIJ welcomes her release and demands Belarus government authorities to stop harassing independent journalists and their news outlets.

Katsiaryna Barysevich was finally released from the prison after completion of her sentence. The journalist was persecuted for following the in-depth details of the murder of Raman Bandarenka. The man who was a protest activist was allegedly murdered by plainclothes police officers. The journalist's colleagues from Tut.by news website had a plan to welcome her with flower bouquets outside the prison but their excitement was ruined by the raids at their offices and arrests.  

The Belarussian Association of Journalists, BAJ shared the news in a tweet stating that Katsiaryna Barysevish walks free after six months in jail for writing the truth.

Katsiaryna was kept in the KGB, pre-trial detention center. She was interrogated on November 20, 2020, on the charges against her. Belarusian police authorities accused Katsiaryna of disclosing confidential and sensitive medical details in her article. On November 23, 2020, her lawyer Andrey Mochalov was denied access to her which was very much allowed under the provisions mentioned in Belarussian Constitution. It was reported that detainees at Belarusian detention centers can meet their lawyers after the permission of their investigating officer, as the centers act upon the regulation designed in the Belarusian criminal code.

On March 2, 2021, Moskovsky district court awarded six months in prison sentence to Katsiaryna and fined her for 2,880 Belarusian rubles. The journalist was convicted for her coverage of the protests in the country. She finally got her freedom on May 19, 2021, but just before her release on the same day, the offices of news outlet Tut.by were raided by Belarusian state authorities on the accusation of tax evasion. Their website and social media accounts were also blocked. Katsiaryna’s colleagues who were planning to welcome her outside prison had to worry about their own safety and workplace.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes Katsiaryna’s release but we also emphasize the fact that Belarusian government officials need to stop targeting the critical voices. Riads on news outlets are a direct attack on press freedom. No journalist should worry about consequences while reporting truthful facts as it is their foremost right and duty.