OSCE Media Freedom Representative denounces conviction of two Belarusian journalists

VIENNA, 18 February 2021 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, denounced today the prison sentences handed down to journalists Katerina Andreyeva (Bakhvalova) and Darya Chultsova in Belarus.

On 18 February, the Frunzenskiy District Court of Minsk found Andreyeva and Chultsova, journalists with Belsat TV channel, guilty on charges of organizing and preparing activities that grossly violated the public order, and ordered them into confinement for two years in a penal colony. The journalists were detained while covering a public event in Minsk on 15 November 2020.

“Silencing and imprisoning journalists for doing their job is simply unacceptable. Such a regretful development limits the space for public debate and the citizens’ right to freedom of information and, therefore, damages society as a whole,” Ribeiro said. “I hope that the ruling will be fully overturned on appeal, and I urge the Belarusian authorities to refrain from bringing similar charges against media workers in the future.”

The Representative also reiterated her call to the authorities to reverse the negative trend affecting media freedom and journalists’ safety and bring their policies and practices in compliance with their OSCE commitments.

Earlier, on 16 February, Ribeiro expressed her deep concern about the state of media freedom and freedom of expression in Belarus.