BAJ head says pressure on Minsk may help jailed journalists

May 3, Pozirk. Raising the topic of Belarus at the international level, talking about jailed journalists and lobbying for pressure on authorities in Minsk may help overcome challenges that the Belarusian media sector is facing, said Andrej Bastuniec, head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ).
This year, Belarus ranked 167th of 180 assessed countries and territories in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, turning into the worst ex-Soviet country for journalists after Turkmenistan, he noted.
On World Press Freedom Day, the BAJ head expressed solidarity with journalists in captivity at an event in Lithuania’s Vilnius with his Belarusian and Lithuanian colleagues participating.
Jailed journalists, like all people imprisoned in politically-motivated cases, face a lot of pressure and “enormous challenges” behind bars, he said. “We must remember them and provide all possible assistance [including] for their families.”
At least 43 media workers remain behind bars in Belarus, according to the RSF.

Belarus down 10 places in RSF’s press freedom ranking
- Economy
- PoliticsŁukašenka to discuss industry modernization with Xi Jinping tomorrowThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Society
- PoliticsIrregular Belarus-EU crossings surpass January level on June 1-2The material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsMinsk to host Eurasian security conference in OctoberThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus' top diplomat to visit Moscow next weekThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsReprisals: Statkievič’s incommunicado detention exceeds 840 daysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyLeak at pipeline carrying oil from RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Germany news, Society
- PoliticsMinsk, Moscow brandish "truth axe"The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityZelensky urges B9/Nordic to probe BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityBelarus–EU: May sees record number of irregular border crossing attemptsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security
- Economy
- PoliticsAt least 1,936 NGOs shut down since 2020 electionThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus’ deficit in goods trade widens to $2.3 billion in January-AprilThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityBrest officials improving commanding skills at three-day drillThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition politician optimistic about Nawrocki’s presidencyThe material is available only to POZIRK+