On March 3, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Aleh Hruzdzilovich was sentenced to prison in Belarus for three protest marches. IPI strongly condemns his unwarranted sentence.  

Hruzdzilovich was first detained in July 2021 for 10 days during a raid of the RFE/RL office in Minsk. He was arrested again on December 23, 2021. He was accused of “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them”.

Hruzdzilovich had covered three protests marches as a journalist, according to Belarusian media. He reported from the first march for RFE/RL with accreditation from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After RFE/RL journalists’ accreditations were cancelled, he covered the other two protests as a freelancer for newspaper Narodnaya Volya. The editor-in-chief of Narodnaya Volya, Iosif Syaredzich, testified in court that Hruzdzilovich had attended the protests on editorial assignments.

The president of RFE/RL, Jamie Fly, called the sentence illegitimate, saying the only crime Hruzdzilovich had committed was reporting the truth to Belarusian people. In addition to the prison sentence, Hruzdzilovich was ordered to pay a fine of 56,000 rubles (about 16,500 euros).

“Hruzdzilovich’s case demonstrates the severe persecution Belarusian journalists are experiencing. His sentence is yet another blatant attempt to silence free media in the country”, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen said. “We strongly urge Belarusian authorities to release Hruzdzilovich along with all other detained journalists and allow them to continue their work without interference.”

After the presidential elections in August 2020, journalists have been arrested over 500 times in Belarus, according to figures from the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). Thirty-four journalists are currently behind bars.