Belarus arrests journalist Kyrył Paźniak over ties to banned media outlet
September 13, Pozirk. Security officers in Belarus arrested prominent journalist Kyrył Paźniak on September 4, accusing him of involvement with Platforma 375, a YouTube channel that the Committee for State Security (KGB) declared an extremist organization the same day.
The KGB also banned the group’s social media accounts.
Platforma 375 focused on news and analysis from Belarus’ eastern Mahiloŭ region. Before its ban, the channel had around 4,000 subscribers and 3.4 million views.
On September 2, two days before Paźniak’s arrest, Minsk’s Partyzanski District Court labeled Platforma 375 “extremist content,” effectively prohibiting viewers from accessing it. Under Belarusian law, watching extremist-labeled content can result in a fine or up to 15 days in jail.
In 2021 and 2022, Platforma 375 aired several programs featuring both state propagandists and government critics forced into exile.
Its final broadcast, recorded in Minsk and posted on December 3, 2022, brought together top propaganda host Ryhor Azaronak, Juryj Cierech of the state-run newspaper SB. Belarus Segodnya, and government critics, Aleh Talerčyk of ByPol and Warsaw-based journalist Dzianis Dudzinski.
Prosecutor demands four years for journalist Iljaš
September 12, Pozirk. The state prosecutor has demanded four years' imprisonment and a hefty fine for journalist Ihar Iljaš, while the defense attorney has demanded an acquittal, said Siarhiej Vahanaŭ, a veteran correspondent and grandfather of Kaciaryna Andrejeva, Iljaš’s wife. …
