May 26, Pozirk. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed deep concerns over the health of jailed journalist Kirył Paźniak, who was hospitalized in serious condition after more than eight months in detention.
“The authorities must immediately ensure he has access to proper medical care and stop the repression against journalists,” RSF said on Telegram.
Earlier, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said that Paźniak fell ill on his way to the first court hearing, scheduled for May 14. “He lost consciousness, and as far as I know, this has been happening to him very often lately,” Paźniak ex-wife told BAJ, expressing doubts about the adequacy of medical care in the detention center. “They couldn’t determine the diagnosis for a long time. Now, according to my information, his lungs are in very poor condition, and he is having difficulty breathing,” the woman said.
Paźniak is reportedly suffering from complications of pneumonia and COVID-19, which he contracted at the detention center in Minsk eight months ago. The man and his 20-year-old daughter, Janina Paźniak are accused of setting up an extremist group and discrediting the state. The trial has been postponed indefinitely.
Both were arrested in early September 2025 in a case that rights defenders see as politically motivated. Later that month, the Committee for State Security (KGB) declared the Platforma 375 media project an extremist group, listing Paźniak as its member.
The secret police banned the group’s accounts on social networks and YouTube.
Platforma 375 is an independent project focusing on news from Belarusian regions, and the Mahiloŭ region in particular. Belarusian authorities blacklisted its content as extremist.
