«Stick to the truth, stick together!»
1 May 2024
«Stick to the truth, stick together!» The war against the media is global, the threats are worldwide. On 3 May, BAJ and LUJ will once again remind us of the problems that journalists face in Belarus and around the world.
Belarus remains the most dangerous country in Europe for journalists. Lukashenka’s regime has 35 media representatives in prison (In the original version of the announcement, the number was 36. On May 1, we received information about the release of one of our colleagues, who had fully served her 2.5 year sentence). The sentences handed down to Belarusian journalists are among the harshest in the world.
More than three years after the violent suppression of post-election protests, the Belarusian authorities continue to severely punish journalists and bloggers not only for social and political material but also for simply belonging to a journalistic organisation. The total sentences handed down to Belarusian journalists last year amounted to almost 100 years’ imprisonment.
The latest move by the Belarusian authorities was a mass extrajudicial seizure of domain names of independent media sites with the .by extension.
But the challenges and threats to journalists in Europe are not only manifested in Belarus, they are becoming global. Phishing and cyber attacks, surveillance and public threats against journalists, hacking of email accounts — these are all wide-reaching threats to journalists against which there is no protection. And all our Ukrainian colleagues today feel a particular existential threat. The threat of being killed any moment.
On 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the Lithuanian Union of Journalists once again call on the whole world to stand up for journalists. We call for the release of all imprisoned journalists in Belarus and guarantees of safety for journalists in the region.
On this day, Belarusian and Lithuanian journalists will hold a symbolic solidarity action at the former tsarist prison «Lukiškės» in Vilnius, carrying portraits of their imprisoned colleagues.
«Stick to the truth, stick together!»
BAJ calls on journalists around the world to support the solidarity action! You can print portraits of imprisoned Belarusian media workers, take pictures with them in outstanding places in your city (outside Belarus) and post them on social media using the hashtags. Don’t forget to send them to intercomm@baj.media.
#СвабодуЖурналістам
#BecauseTheJournalist
Belarusian media workers behind bars
@bajmedia
