Bail guarantors of exiled Tut.by journalists summoned to court

April 10, BPN. The Minsk City Court will hold additional hearings in the criminal case against Alena Tałkačova and Volha Łojka, journalists of outlawed Tut.by media outlet, the electronic court schedule says.

Both journalists fled Belarus fearing politically-motivated persecution.

Political expert Jaŭhien Prejhierman and MP Valeryj Varaniecki, bail guarantors for Tałkačova, as well as Alaksandr Šviec, head of industrialists’ and entrepreneurs’ union and bail guarantor for Łojka, have been summoned to court.

All three have been assigned separate cases that are scheduled to be heard on April 10.

Since both journalists left Belarus and were put on the international wanted list, the guarantors are obliged to pay their bail, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said.

On March 17, authorities sentenced Tut.by editor in chief Maryna Zołatava and CEO Ludmiła Čekina to 12 years in prison. Łojka, Tałkačova and legal adviser Kaciaryna Tkačenka did not show up for the hearing because they had fled Belarus.

Authorities arrested 15 Tut.by employees in May 2021. All except Čekina and Zołatava were released from custody after agreeing to cooperate with investigators, according to the Investigative Committee.

Čekina, Zołatava, Łojka and Tałkačova were accused of tax evasion, inciting hatred and calling for sanctions; Tkačenka, of tax evasion and participation in protests.

Tut.by team left Belarus in July 2021 to launch Zerkalo.io, a news website that largely follows in the footsteps of the original media outlet. Belarus and Russia have blocked access to the website. On top of that, Belarus declared it extremist content.

In June 2022, the Minsk Economic Court designated Tut By Media as an extremist organization, banning its activities in Belarus.

In October 2022, the Committee for State Security (KGB) added Zołatava, Čekina, Łojka and Tałkačova to its list of “individuals and entities involved in terrorist activities.”