Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Two Belarusian journalists sent to prison for covering protest

Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova were each handed two year sentences

Via AP news wire
Thursday 18 February 2021 09:38 GMT
Belarus Journalists' Trial
Belarus Journalists' Trial (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A court in Belarus on Thursday sent two female journalists to prison for years on charges of violating public order after they covered a protest against the nation's authoritarian president.

The court in the Belarusian capital of Minsk handed two-year sentences to Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova of the Belsat TV channel. They were arrested in November while doing live coverage of a protest in Minsk and charged with “organizing actions rudely violating public order,” accusations they have denied.

The U.S. Embassy in Belarus has called for their release and is urging Belarusian authorities to stop prosecuting journalists for doing their jobs.

Belarus has been rocked by protests after official results from the Aug. 9 presidential election handed President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office by a landslide. The opposition and some poll workers have said the election was rigged.

Authorities in the Eastern European nation have responded with a sweeping crackdown on the demonstrations, the biggest of which attracted up to 200,000 people. According to human rights advocates, more than 30,000 people have been detained since the protests began, and thousands were brutally beaten.

The United States and the European Union have responded to the Belarus election and the crackdown by introducing sanctions against Belarusian officials.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in