On behalf of media organizations and journalistic associations of Armenia, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and Sweden we express our support and solidarity with our colleagues from Belarus. Journalists of Belarusian and foreign media as well as bloggers covering the protests in the country, are subjected to severe violence and pressure from the authorities.
The unrestricted and safe work of journalists is protected by international conventions and laws of all civilized countries. Obstructing the work of journalists is a violation of the Belarusian law.
Detentions, physical violence, damage to the equipment of Belarusian and foreign journalists working in the country, disconnection of the Internet, and other numerous violations of journalists’ rights and freedom of speech should be immediately stopped and investigated, and the law enforcement officers who carried them out and the executives who gave the respective orders should be severely punished.
We are closely following the development of the situation.
We express our support and admiration for how, in conditions of severe violence and lack of safe working conditions, our Belarusian colleagues continue to cover the events taking place in the country. We use your publications to inform our audiences about what is happening in Belarus, and we are grateful to you for this work.
We call on fellow journalists and media organizations from other countries to express their position on what is happening in Belarus and call on their governments to exercise their diplomatic and economic influence to end violence against journalists, bloggers, activists, and citizens of Belarus.
The statement is open to other signatories.
Yerevan Press Club, Armenia
Media Initiatives Center, Armenia
Journalists for the Future NGO
Public Journalism Club, Armenia
Freedom of Information Center, Armenia
Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, Armenia
“Investigative Journalists” NGO, Armenia
Journalists’ Club “Asparez, Amenia
Association of Regional Media, Georgia
Association of Independent Press, Moldova (API)
Electronic Press Association from Moldova (APEL)
Center of Independent Journalism, Moldova (CJI)
Association of Environmental Journalism and Environmental Tourism, Moldova (AJMTEM)
RISE-Moldova
Committee for Freedom of the Press, Moldova (CFP)
Center for Journalistic Investigations, Moldova
Association of Journalists of Latvia
Media Center of Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), Riga, Latvia
Association of Local Newspapers, Poland
Association of Press Clubs, Poland
Alliance of Independent Regional Publishers (ANRI), Russia
Foundation for Independent Radio Broadcasting (FNR), Russia
Fojo Media Institute, Sweden
Donetsk Institute for Information, Ukraine
Detector Media, Ukraine
Regional Press Development Institute, Ukraine
Institute of Mass Information (IMI), Ukraine
Independent Media Trade Union, Ukraine
Independent Association of Media, Ukraine
Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communications
Commission on journalistic ethics
‘Women in Media’ NGO, Ukraine
August 14, 2020
