Jailed former RFE/RL reporter given eight more months in prison

December 13, Pozirk. The Škłoŭ District Court in the Mahiłoŭ region has sentenced imprisoned journalist Ihar Karniej, 56, to eight additional months in prison for disobeying prison authorities, the RFE/RL Belarus Service reported.
Belarusian authorities routinely use this charge to keep political prisoners behind bars longer.
Alaksandar Tarakanaŭ, a judge on the European Union’s sanctions list, presided over the proceedings.
Karniej, a former RFE/RL Belarus Service correspondent, has been in custody since July 2023. In March, he was given three years in prison on charges of association with an extremist group. A few months later, authorities also blacklisted him as an extremist.
The administration of Škłoŭ’s Penal Colony No 17 has reportedly placed the journalist in internal prison several times.
Karniej had a long history of cooperating with independent media. Human rights groups consider him a political prisoner.

RSF: Belarus world’s fourth largest prison for journalists
- PoliticsAt least 1,944 NGOs dissolved since August 2020 – LawtrendThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyBotswana’s foreign minister invites investment from Belarus, playing up benefits of peaceful power transferThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyProsecutor appeals convicted Belarusian spy’s sentenceThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition social security chief decries forced deportation of pardoned prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyEducation officials make conflicting statements on free tuition quota for RussiansThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- Economy
- Politics, Security
- Politics, SecurityPoland convicts seven Georgians accused of transporting undocumented migrantsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsKellogg says Łukašenka misinterpreted talks on ceasefire in UkraineThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsLithuania’s top diplomat calls for release of jailed Belarusian dissidentsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus’ non-CIS goods trade deficit expands 43.5 percent year on yearThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyBelarus’ foreign exchange reserves up 3.4 percent in JuneThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsRyžankoŭ meets with Botswana’s top diplomatThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security
- Politics, SecurityZapad-2025 moved inland, scaled down, Łukašenka confirmsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityUkrainian man sentenced to six years for attempting to smuggle draft dodger to BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics