The grounding of a Ryanair flight on a fake bomb threat is just the latest escalation of an independent media clampdown in Belarus
Hijack, arrest, torture: Belarusian journalists under attack
read more
Volha Siakhovich
Volha Siakhovich
Volha Siakhovich is a Belarusian legal expert, human rights campaigner and writer who specialises in media and freedom of expression issues. Since 2013, she has collaborated with the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), an NGO whose mission is to defend freedom of expression and protect the rights of journalists.
Journalists and media freedom under attack in Lukashenko’s Belarus
Volha Siakhovich writes from Belarus about the current conditions of journalists working in the country
Belarus: Equal media access denied to opposition candidates during election
On 11 September, the people of Belarus elected the lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives. Speaking about the media environment surrounding the elections
Belarus: Government uses accreditation to silence independent press
Despite repeated calls by international organisations for reform, Belarus’ regime for press accreditation continues to help the government maintain its monopoly on information
Andrei Bastunets: Press freedom has never been easy in Belarus
Belarusian authorities were busy in 2015: the government introduced new laws aimed at restricting media outlets and distributors; freelance journalists contributing to foreign media outlets found themselves facing prosecution; and websites publishing material that “may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus” were extrajudicially blocked.
Belarus’ counter-extremism laws used to restrict free expression
Volha Siakhovich outlines how Belarusian authorities are using anti-extremism legislation to silence journalists and human rights workers
Belarus: Media violations recorded during last month’s election
On 11 October, Belarusian president Aleksander Lukashenko won his fifth consecutive election. Whether it was a free and fair election is up for debate
Freelance journalists in Belarus face fines for working with foreign media
In Belarus, dozens of freelance journalists were fined between 2014 and 2015 for working for foreign media without an accreditation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs