Actualités

Friday, 7 May 2021, 9:30 - 11:00 CEST Zoom Webinar (in English and Russian) Please register here or rsvp.lituanie@urm.lt by 6 May noon; you will then receive the link to the event.

Since the rigged presidential election of August 2020, a crackdown on Belarus’ civil society and the media took unprecedented dimension. The few independent media outlets remaining in Belarus have been hounded by police trying to prevent coverage of the huge street protests. They were already harassed by the authorities, fined and forced into exile, but they had not previously been persecuted on this scale.

According to RSF Press freedom index of 2021, Belarus is the most dangerous country in Europe for media personnel. Independent and critical journalists and bloggers are subjected to threats and violence and are arrested in large numbers. Some are prosecuted for crimes with absurd charges for which they face long jail sentences. The authorities censor independent media outlets and regularly cut access to the Internet.

Despite the risks and the increase of propaganda in the state media, courageous journalists continue to cover developments on the ground, many of them – from abroad. The webinar, organised by “Reporters without borders” with the Lithuanian Embassy in France is a venue for their direct testimonies.

Introductory remarks:

- Christophe Deloire, Secretary-general and executive director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
- Linas Linkevičius, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

Belarusian journalists:

- Hannah Liubakova (currently in Vilnius, Lithuania) Ex-Belsat and RFE/RL correspondent.
- Zmitser Mitskevich (currently in Poland), Belarusian reporter for Belsat, an independent Belarusian TV channel based in Poland. Eyewitnessed both the peaceful rallies and brutality of the police. Fled to Poland in October.
- Andrey Pavuk (currently in Lithuania), popular blogger from Homiel region, who runs the YouTube channel Rudabelskaya Pakazuha, about life in provincial Belarus and problems with local authorities.
- Ruslan Kulevich (currently in Poland), Belarusian journalist of the website Hrodna.life. After moving, he launched his own video project about Belarusian refugees, "Мы вернемся / We will return".
- Sergey Prokhorov (currently in Ukraine), Belarusian journalist and blogger, media specialist, founder of agregatar.com. He launched the @Belkrainec Telegram & YouTube channel, about initiatives and life of Belarusians in Ukraine and experiences of emigration, after moving to Kiev.
- Serge Kharytonau (currently in the US) Ex-reporter in Belarus for Current Time TV.

Organizers: