Former journalist Hłuškoŭ taken into custody – report

January 15, Pozirk. A former Mahiloŭ journalist and cameraman, Jaŭhien Hłuškoŭ, has been taken into custody after authorities arrested him on January 4 or 5, Mediazona reported, quoting two unnamed sources.

According to one source, Hłuškoŭ lived alone and recently stopped contacting his wife and son. His neighbors saw security officers escorting him out of an apartment.

According to another source, an investigator told his wife that the man was under investigation.

Earlier, the human rights group Mayday.Team said the former journalist could have been arrested.

Hłuškoŭ worked at local television in the 1990s-2000s and later cooperated with several city websites.

After the 2020 presidential election, the government has been running a campaign to dismantle and ban independent media. It has forced dozens of national and local news organizations into exile. According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, 34 media professionals remain behind bars.