Photojournalist arrested in Minsk

June 13, BPN. Photographer Jaŭhien Jarčak, formerly a freelance correspondent with tut.by, has been arrested in Minsk.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reports that a video of his “confession” was published on pro-government Telegram channels on June 13.

In the video, the arrested said he was 36 years old and unemployed.

He added that he was “taking part in unauthorized mass events in Minsk in August-September 2020, taking photos” and sending them to tut.by.

Jarčak also noted that he was subscribed to “extremist Telegram channels”.

His photo and video archives have reportedly been seized.

Tut.by was a major private news portal blacklisted by the authorities as extremist in 2021. Some of its journalists are in prison. Others maintain a substitute project, zerkalo.io, from abroad.