Belarus detains journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich ahead of trial

New York, September 23, 2024—Belarusian authorities should disclose their reason for detaining journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich ahead of his September 26 trial on charges of violating public order in the southwestern city of Pinsk, and ensure that no journalists are jailed because of their work, said the Committee to Protect Journalist on Monday. 

“Journalist Yauhen Nikalayevich’s detention, despite a spate of recent pardons by President Aleksandr Lukashenko, underscores Belarus’ fractured prison system as Europe’s worst jailer of journalists,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Belarusian authorities should make the reason for Nikalayevich’s charges known or release him immediately.”

Nikalayevich, a former video reporter with independent news website Media Polesye, was arrested and served a 10-day prison sentence in November 2020 on charges of “participating in an unsanctioned event” following his coverage of protests in Pinsk calling for President Lukashenko to resign.

Nikalayevich left Belarus and journalism after serving his sentence, his former outlet reported, adding that he returned to the country in early 2024. 

The new charges against Nikalayevich are “most likely” related to his coverage of the 2020 protests, a representative of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, an advocacy and trade group operating from exile, told CPJ under condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. There is no information on when the journalist was detained.

If convicted, Nikalayevich faces up to four years in jail, according to the Belarusian Criminal Code.

CPJ is also investigating the September 19 detention of photographer Aivar Udrys in the western city of Hlybokaye. The outcome of his Thursday hearing is unknown. CPJ emailed the Belarusian Investigative Committee, the country’s law enforcement agency, for comment on the two detentions but did not receive any response.

Belarus was the world’s fifth worst jailer of journalists, with at least 28 journalists behind bars on December 1, 2023, when CPJ conducted its most recent annual prison census.