Ex-journalist Ihnaciuk given six years in prison
April 9, Pozirk. A judge in Stolin, Brest region, at a trial held behind closed doors sentenced Alaksandar Ihnaciuk, a former journalist from Pinsk, to six years in a medium security prison, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
He has been held in pre-trial detention since July 18, 2023.
The prosecutor charged that he called for riots in his social media posts dating August 2020.
Ihnaciuk was found guilty of gross violations of public order, a charge often used to persecute regime critics in Belarus; defamation of Alaksandar Łukašenka and extortion.
The journalist pleaded not guilty of extortion and partially guilty to the first two charges.
Until 2003, Ihnaciuk published the independent regional newspaper Vecherniy Stolin. Later, he edited the Pro Stolin website.
IPI demands release of Belarus journalists
April 3, Pozirk. The International Press Institute (IPI), a global organization dedicated to promoting and protecting press freedom, has demanded the release of Belarusian journalists Ihar Karniej and Andrej Tołčyn. Their sentences show that the regime of Alaksandar Łukašenka "will …