Six years on from the fraudulent Belarusian elections of 9 August 2020, the crackdown on press freedom in Belarus has intensified, with 21 journalists currently imprisoned and those in exile facing intimidation. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) joins their affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in calling for an end to the criminalisation of journalists, and for the immediate and unconditional release of all those imprisoned for doing their job.<\/p>\n
Since the fraudulent Belarusian elections<\/a> on 9 August 2020, President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime has increased pressure on dissidents and intensified its crackdown on the press, handing out disproportionate prison sentences to journalists in Belarus and intimidating and harassing those who have been forced to exile. The crackdown has also affected the BAJ, which was labelled<\/a> ‘extremist’ in 2023. It is the only independent and democratic association of Belarusian media representatives.<\/p>\n According to the BAJ, as of August 2026, 21 journalists<\/a> and media workers are behind bars for political reasons. Among them are individuals with serious illnesses or advanced age, such as journalist Kiryl Pazniak, who was hospitalised<\/a> in May due to pneumonia and a concurrent case of Covid-19 while in pre-trial detention.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year alone, six journalists<\/a> were convicted and sentenced within a week. Uladzimir Yanukevich and Andrei Pakalenka, former heads of independent regional newspaper Intex-Press, were sentenced to 14 and 12 years in prison respectively for alleged \u201chigh treason\u201d; Journalist Pavel Dabravolski was sentenced<\/a> to nine years for a similar offence; radio host Aleh Khamenka was sentenced<\/a> to three years for \u201ccollaborating with the media\u201d; and journalist Tsina Palynskaya was sentenced to two years for alleged collaboration with an extremist entity, alongside her daughter.<\/p>\n Moreover, the persecutions do not stop at the border, and journalists in exile continue to be intimidated. In recent years, Belarus has actively persecuted independent journalists who have been forced to flee the country. BAJ reports<\/a> that criminal cases have been opened against them, their families have been searched, their property has been confiscated<\/a>, and they have been placed on international wanted lists.\u00a0<\/p>\n