International rights group slams trial of journalist Ščyrakova as unacceptable

July 28, BPN. The detention and trial of former journalist Łarysa Ščyrakova who “faces up to seven years’ imprisonment on trumped-up charges,” is unacceptable, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) said on Twitter.

The Homiel Regional Court opened criminal proceedings against Ščyrakova on July 27, accusing her of discrediting Belarus and promoting extremism for allegedly collecting information for the Poland-based Belsat TV channel. The judge closed the trial to the public.

Ščyrakova has been in custody since December 2022. Human rights defenders say her persecution is politically motivated.

She had stopped working as a journalist in 2021 and was into ethnographic photography in the last few months before her arrest.

At least 36 media workers are behind bars in Belarus, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists.