"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."
Thomas Jefferson - an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
In any democratic country, the mass media is the fourth branch of power, alongside the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
Independent mass media consists of objective journalists who strive to understand ongoing events, consider various perspectives (even if they differ radically from their own), and seek the truth.
Independent mass media is the power of words respected and feared in any democratic country.
In Belarus, the state exercises full control over all mass media.
Before the events of 2020, there were several independent mass media outlets in the country, but after 2020, there were none left. Almost all were forced to relocate abroad.
Since 2020, 73 journalists have been detained and persecuted, including 17 women.
Journalists face physical and moral violence. Since August 2020, no fewer than 62 cases of attacks on journalists have been documented.
As of April 30, 2024, the number of journalists and bloggers in Belarusian prisons is 40, including 25 journalists, 8 of them are women.
Perhaps most alarming is the disproportionate impact of these reprisals on female journalists. Nearly every fourth journalist imprisoned in Belarus is a woman.
Thus, Belarus ranks among the top three countries with the highest number of imprisoned journalists after China (121) and Myanmar (69 journalists in prison).
The country ranks second in the number of imprisoned female journalists after China.
Among the detained journalists in Belarus are employees of "Belsat," the Press Club, journalists from tut.by, and many other mass media publications.
Here are some examples of the sentences journalists receive for doing their job:
- Katerina Andreeva (8 years and 3 months in a high-security colony)
- Daria Chultsova (2 years), convicted for covering a memorial rally,
- Maryna Zolatava (12 years in a colony),
- Liudmila Chekina (12 years in a colony),
- Valeryia Kastsiuhova(10 years in a colony),
- Kseniya Lutskina (8 years in a colony).
Attacks on press freedom have also manifested in the digital sphere: in 2020 alone, 92 independent media and political websites were blocked.
In 2021, 13 mass media outlets were labeled "extremist", effectively censoring alternative voices and specific opinions.
Belarusians hope that independent mass media, directly affected by the regime's actions, whose employees have received huge prison sentences, will objectively cover events, report on initiatives that contribute to the release of political prisoners, so that you and we can see our colleagues, relatives, and loved ones free as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, today we see the opposite. Many Belarusian mass media outlets are funded with the approval of one political group, consequently, all dissenters are smeared, labeled, and their negative public opinion is formed instead of understanding the situation and conducting independent journalistic investigations.
Don't Lukashenko's mass media outlets behave like this? Aren't we tired of this in Belarus? Aren't we worthy of seeing quality journalism?
Due to the fact that the mass media are "dependent," interest in them is declining, and in search of objective information, people are turning to other information platforms.
On World Press Freedom Day, we wish for our mass media to truly become independent of any influence or funding and cover events objectively, truthfully, and impartially.
Freedom of speech should not be bought for any amount of money!
Happy World Press Freedom Day!
Materials used to write this article:
- Statistics - from the Press Club Belarus project: Chronicle of repressions against Belarusian journalism - “Press under pressure”
- Report from "Reporters Without Borders"
- DISSIDENTBY
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