Belarus: Time to make some noise

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Belarus: Time to make some noise

Hi {contact.first_name},

Belarus has a long and vibrant history of courageous activists and tenacious journalists.

Yet it is precisely these groups – the freedom of expression frontline – who have borne the brunt of brutal crackdowns under President Lukashenko’s 30-year authoritarian rule.

On 12 January, we marked the 3-year anniversary of Andrei Aliaksandrau and his wife Irina Zlobina’s imprisonment.

As well as being one of Belarus’s most prominent journalists, Andrei is a beloved ex-colleague of ARTICLE 19. He and Irina (a human rights defender) were charged for allegedly paying fines and detention costs for pro-democracy protesters in Minsk. They were sentenced to an eye-watering 14 and 9 years respectively. Since his arrest, Andrei has also been charged with treason.

‘We’ve tried to send letters, but the latest response from Andrei dates back to 2021. We suspect he may not be receiving our letters – a situation many political prisoners in Belarus experience. Nevertheless, our thoughts are consistently with Andrei and Irina, and we will continue our work for their release.’

– Joanna Szymanska, Senior Programme Officer for Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19

Journalists in jeopardy

Andrei and Irina are far from the only journalists to be jailed on trumped-up charges for challenging Lukashenko’s brutal regime.

Belarus imprisons more journalists than nearly every other country in the world. At the time of writing, 34 journalists and media workers are behind bars, including:

Aliaksandr Ziankou, a photographer arrested in June 2023 and accused of extremist activities, whose trial was on the same day as Andrei and Irina’s 3-year jail anniversary. Aliaksandr was also one of dozens of journalists and photographers arrested back in the summer of 2020, when 30,000 Belarusians were arrested and persecuted for peacefully protesting against Lukashenko claiming victory in a rigged election.

Nasta Lojka, celebrated human rights activist, educator, and co-founder of Human Constanta and Human Rights Defender of the Year 2022, who has been in detention since 28 October 2022. There are reports of her being subjected to psychological and physical torture.

6 members of Viasna, one of Belarus’s oldest and most prominent rights groups – including its Chair, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, who was sentenced to 10 years in March 2023.

ARTICLE 19 is calling for the immediate release of these brave freedom of expression heroes – as well as the release of all other journalists, activists, writers, musicians, and all other political prisoners jailed for criticising the Lukashenko regime.

Change on the horizon?

In our Global Expression Report 2023, Belarus scored just 2 out of 100, making it the 4th-worst country in the world for freedom of expression.

We can’t let this downward spiral continue.

And an opportunity for change is coming up.

On 25 February, there will be parliamentary elections in Belarus. Given what happened last time, we are expecting serious pushback from Lukashenko.

Yet history shows us that, even in the most repressive contexts, we can achieve extraordinary things when we raise our voices together.

A single voice, at the right pitch, is powerful enough to shatter glass.

Millions of voices, raised together, can cause an avalanche.

It’s time to make some noise.

Will you help us build a movement that’s too powerful for even Lukashenko to ignore?

If you’re in, please forward this email to a friend, and invite them to join our movement for freedom of expression.

Thanks, as ever, for your support.

From all of us at ARTICLE 19

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