December 16, Pozirk. The number of imprisoned journalists has reached 45 after professionals from two regional media outlets were arrested last week, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported.
At least seven employees of the dissolved Intex-Press were reportedly arrested in Baranavičy, Brest region, on an extremism charge. According to preliminary information, one of them is reporter Rusłan Raviaka.
BAJ noted that the situation of freedom of expression and independent media in the country remains one of the worst in the world. The authorities actively use anti-extremism laws to hinder independent media activity, it said.
In particular, most independent media outlets and the BAJ have been branded as extremist groups. In addition to political pressure, Belarusian independent media “face economic difficulties, and foreign media working for the Belarusian audience also have enough problems.”
