June 24, Pozirk. Aleś Lubiančuk, a former Belsat TV cameraman, has left Belarus after serving two jail terms linked to his work for the broadcaster, which has been outlawed in the country, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported.
Lubiančuk was released in May after spending seven months in pretrial detention on new charges. Although a court sentenced him to four years in prison for social media posts made several years earlier, which authorities said incited social hatred and promoted extremist activity, he did not have to serve additional time behind bars.
Under Belarusian law, one day in pretrial detention was counted as one and a half days in prison. In addition, the authorities credited time he had already served under a previous conviction toward the new sentence. As a result, the four-year term was considered fully served, allowing his release.
Lubiančuk was first sentenced in 2022 to three years in prison over his association with Belsat TV, which the Belarusian authorities had designated an extremist group.
On June 11, Belarus’ Committee for State Security (KGB) added Lubiančuk to its list of “individuals involved in terrorist activity.”
At least 21 Belarusian media workers remain behind bars, according to the BAJ.
