UK, USA demand end to repression of journalists in Belarus

May 4, Pozirk. “The Belarusian regime must halt its suppression of independent media,” British Minister for Europe Nusrat Ghani said on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3.

According to the British Embassy Minsk, she stood in solidarity with “courageous Belarusian journalists jailed for seeking truth” and saluted “those who continue to deliver vital information in exile despite adversity.”

On the same occasion, the US Embassy in Belarus noted that “a free press is crucial for a free and democratic society” in the modern world.

“We are grateful for journalists and media workers striving for more accountability, transparency, and informed societies,” the statement said. “In Belarus and elsewhere, they frequently face harassment and violence. All Belarusian journalists who strive for democracy and transparent coverage of events must be immediately released.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, said that “the free flow of accurate information, ideas, and opinions, including dissenting ones, is essential for transparent, responsive, and inclusive governance.”

“In their pursuit of truth, journalists face unprecedented danger just for doing their jobs,” the US top diplomat said. “More journalists were killed in 2023 than in any year in recent memory.”

“Authoritarian governments and non-state actors continue to use disinformation and propaganda to undermine social discourse and impede journalists’ efforts to inform the public, hold governments accountable, and bring the truth to light,” he said.

Blinken called on all countries to “do more to protect journalists” and reiterated the United States’ “unwavering support for free and independent media around the world.”

Also read: Diplomats send letters to imprisoned Belarusian journalists