September 17, Pozirk. Human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka received a Free Media Award for imprisoned journalist Łarysa Ščyrakova at a ceremony held today in Oslo, Norway.
“Today is the 651st day of Łarysa’s imprisonment in the Belarusian prison for women in Homiel. The conditions there can be compared to inhumane treatment and even torture,” the Belarusian Association of Journalists quoted Sudalenka as saying.
“Today we also remember 33 other Belarusian journalists who, like Łarysa, were thrown in jail for telling people the truth about political reprisals in Belarus after the 2020 presidential election.”
Norway’s Fritt Ord Foundation, a co-founder of the Free Media Awards, said earlier that Ščyrakova won the prize for her courageous, independent activities in Belarus.
In August 2023, the Homiel Regional Court sentenced her to three years and six months in prison for allegedly discrediting Belarus and promoting extremism, the charges denounced by rights groups as politically motivated.
Also read: Journalist sentenced to prison at closed-door trial
