The IPI global network today condemns the lengthy prison sentences handed down by a court in Belarus to two prominent regional journalists, Uladzimir Yanukevich and Andrei Pakalenka.
According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), the country’s independent union operating from exile, Yanukevich and Pakalenka were found guilty on charges of ‘high treason’ and sentenced respectively to 14 and 12 years in prison.
The verdicts were issued on February 26 by a court in the western city of Brest. Following typical practice in Belarus for cases related to ‘high treason’, the details of the accusation were not made public. No additional information on the course of the trial, or arguments of the prosecution, were made available either.
Yanukevich was known as the director and editor-in-chief of Intex Press, which was the largest independent regional newspaper in Belarus, according to BAJ, prior to its forced closure by authorities. Pakalenka served as the outlet’s deputy director for development.
“These new, politically motivated prison sentences against journalists serve as a reminder of the repression facing all critical voices under the Lukashenko regime in Belarus,” said IPI Eastern Europe Press Freedom Advisor Karol Łuczka. “While we cautiously welcome the recent releases of journalists held as political prisoners, the convictions of Uladzimir Yanukevich and Andrei Pakalenka show that Belarusian authorities still can and will not hesitate to harshly retaliate against their opponents.”
He added: “IPI condemns these sentences and calls for the release of all 28 media workers currently behind bars. Their release must not take place under the condition that they immediately go into exile, as was the case of recent exchanges, but as part of a long-awaited process of democratic transition in Belarus.”
Case against Intex Press
Long renowned as a major regional news outlet, Intex Press ran into trouble with the Lukashenko regime after publishing an interview with opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya in April 2021.
Soon after the high-profile publication, authorities accused the newspaper of “producing extremist content”. At the same time, press distribution companies that previously worked with Intex Press were forced to cease all collaboration with the outlet, forcing it to suspend its operations in print.
The Intex Press team later created a new independent online outlet, Bar24.by, however it too was closed down by authorities and its team were detained by security forces in January 2024. In November 2025, Belarusian authorities reported that four media workers had been sentenced to restrictions of liberty without imprisonment, a type of penalty similar to probation. Yanukevich and Pakalenka remained under arrest and were later sentenced to prison.
As of March 2026, no fewer than 28 media workers are behind bars in Belarus, making the country one of the worst jailers of journalists in the world.
A deal reached between the United States and Lukashenko allowed for the release of nine Belarusian journalists in December 2025, in exchange for the lifting of some American sanctions. The formerly imprisoned journalists were, however, only allowed to leave prison on condition that they went into exile.
While the move was broadly welcomed by the international community, international institutions, such as the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus, warned that liberation on condition of forced exile constituted a fundamental violation of human rights.