Mahiloŭ-based journalists sentenced to prison

August 1, Pozirk. The Mahiloŭ Regional Court on July 31 sentenced two journalists to prison, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported.

Aleś Sabaleŭski was given four years and cameraman Jaŭhien Hłuškoŭ, three years in connection with their work for 6TV.by, a YouTube news channel labeled an extremist group.

Both journalists were ordered to pay 8,000 rubels (€2,343) each in fines.

They were accused under two articles of the Criminal Code – Part 1 and 3 of Article 361-1 carrying punishment for forming an extremist group or membership of an extremist group and Part 1 of Article 361-3 carrying punishment for participating or intention to participate in an armed conflict abroad.

Police arrested journalist Sabaleuski in Mahiliou on December 12 and Hłuškoŭ on January 4, weeks after declaring the two local media outlets extremist groups.

Human rights groups designated both journalists as political prisoners.

Most journalists associated with 6TV.by fled the country for fear of persecution.

In August 2021, KGB officers forced the channel’s IT specialist Kanstancin Latuškin to give away passwords to the website administration dashboards and sign a pledge to cooperate, threatening to open a terrorism case against him if he refused.

Latuškin left Belarus after the detention.

Also read: Mahiloŭ-based reporters face extremism trial