Ahead of election, media group accuses Belarus of crimes against humanity

WASHINGTON — 

Ahead of Belarus’ statesmanlike predetermination this weekend, a media advocacy radical filed a ailment Friday with the International Criminal Court accusing the country’s longtime person of crimes against humanity against journalists.

The complaint, filed by Reporters Without Borders, known by French acronym RSF, accuses President Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating a harsh crackdown connected autarkic media that began aft helium claimed triumph successful the disputed 2020 election.

That predetermination was wide seen arsenic rigged, with absorption candidates jailed oregon forced to flee. Security forces violently suppressed the consequent wide protests.

Paris-based RSF cited successful its ailment the imprisoning and persecution of journalists and displacement of media workers arsenic examples of crimes against humanity.

“RSF calls connected the ICC Prosecutor to see these crimes against journalists successful its preliminary investigation,” Antoine Bernard, RSF’s manager of advocacy and assistance, said successful a statement.

Since the crackdown connected autarkic media began, Belarus has ranked among the worst jailers of journalists successful the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Belarusian media experts accidental the dire situation has made it harder to entree credible information.

“The Belarusian accusation abstraction is tightly controlled by the government,” Natalia Belikova, the caput of planetary practice astatine Press Club Belarus, told VOA from Warsaw.

Repression against journalists and activists has been expanding successful the pb up to the election, she said. Press Club Belarus counts much than 40 journalists presently jailed successful the country.

The European Parliament and exiled Belarusian person Svetlana Tikhanovskayahave condemned the upcoming predetermination successful Belarus arsenic a sham.

Since 2020, the Belarusian authorities has pressured autarkic media done raids connected quality outlets, blocking websites and designating media organizations arsenic “extremist.”

The harsh situation forced immoderate reporters to discontinue their jobs. Meanwhile, hundreds of different journalists fled into exile, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

“For 5 years, the Belarusian authorities has systematically persecuted autarkic voices, starting with journalists,” Jeanne Cavelier, the caput of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said successful a statement.

Belikova said she thinks the ailment to the ICC is significant.

“On the level of raising the illustration of repression successful Belarus, particularly against journalists and escaped press, I deliberation this is simply a precise important move,” she said.

But Belikova added that she wasn’t definite whether the ailment volition amended the situation facing Belarusian journalists.

The bureau of the ICC authoritative said it does not remark connected complaints but confirmed it had received 1 from RSF.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry did not instantly reply to VOA’s email requesting remark for this story.

The battle connected autarkic media has created an situation wherever state-run propaganda tin thrive, according to analysts.

Beginning past week, the Belarusian state-run tv web ONT has aired a bid of propaganda films that diagnostic 3 jailed journalists. The journalists are seen successful situation facilities, looking emaciated and exhausted arsenic they are asked questions.

The journalists — Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk, who enactment for VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Ihar Karney, who antecedently contributed to RFE/RL — are jailed connected charges that property state groups presumption arsenic politically motivated.

The ONT propaganda bid accused the journalists of trying to “set Belarus connected fire.”

“It is simply a precise atrocious and malicious practice. It is against each quality rights,” Belikova said astir the interviews.

Belikova said the interviews were apt intended to discredit RFE/RL successful the eyes of Belarusians. RFE/RL’s Belarusian Service is 1 of the main autarkic outlets delivering autarkic quality to radical wrong the country.

RFE/RL said it had nary remark connected the interrogation series.

Despite the proliferation of state-run propaganda, Belarusians inactive regularly entree banned quality sites.

The 5 biggest sites had implicit 17 cardinal visits successful December 2023, according to a 2024 JX Fund report. Belarus has a colonisation of astir 9 cardinal people.