BAJ head says pressure on Minsk may help jailed journalists

May 3, Pozirk. Raising the topic of Belarus at the international level, talking about jailed journalists and lobbying for pressure on authorities in Minsk may help overcome challenges that the Belarusian media sector is facing, said Andrej Bastuniec, head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ).
This year, Belarus ranked 167th of 180 assessed countries and territories in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, turning into the worst ex-Soviet country for journalists after Turkmenistan, he noted.
On World Press Freedom Day, the BAJ head expressed solidarity with journalists in captivity at an event in Lithuania’s Vilnius with his Belarusian and Lithuanian colleagues participating.
Jailed journalists, like all people imprisoned in politically-motivated cases, face a lot of pressure and “enormous challenges” behind bars, he said. “We must remember them and provide all possible assistance [including] for their families.”
At least 43 media workers remain behind bars in Belarus, according to the RSF.
Belarus down 10 places in RSF’s press freedom ranking
- SocietyBySol raises nearly €37,000 for recently freed dissidentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition politician Viačorka looking forward to establishment of Belarus-Ukraine coordinating groupThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja leaves for New York to take part in UN eventsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Security, SocietyParticipants at Belarusian-Ukrainian forum in Kyiv vow to investigate transfers of Ukrainian children to BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityUkraine will probably deal with Belarus-based relay systems for Russian drone attacks in non-public way, envoy saysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, PoliticsCichanoŭskaja welcomes new US sanctions against RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsTen of 25 deported political prisoners move from Lithuania to PolandThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecuritySwitzerland aligns itself with EU’s April package of sanctions against BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyŁukašenka threatens officials with prison for failing to pull flax properlyThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, SecurityEconomy ministry promises help to Belarusian businesses affected by Wildberries warehouse fires in RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityIrregular migrants return to Lithuanian border after US envoy leaves VilniusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Interior ministry labels 11 people as “extremists”The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyMinsk, Minsk region account for half of GDP since JanuaryThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityBelarus, Azerbaijan reaffirm intentions to expand military tiesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- SocietyExpert: support for Belarusian independent media to boost regional securityThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyPolish border guards arrest harvester driver suspected of cigarette smugglingThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsWashington lifts sanctions on Biełlesbumpram, ŁakafarbaThe material is available only to POZIRK+



