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BELARUS: TIME TO MAKE SOME NOISE

HI ,

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 [2] 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 [3] are
behind bars, including:

*

ALIAKSANDR ZIANKOU [4], 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.

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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 [5] 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 [6] 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, [7] 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, [8] 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. [9]

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. [10]

Thanks, as ever, for your support.

From all of us at ARTICLE 19

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