Friday, 06 August 2021

Belarusian Association of Journalists: facing closure but not extinction

In the months since the disputed re-election of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, the freedom of the press in Belarus has come under increasing attack.

The country’s journalism union, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (Baj.by), has documented more than 500 detentions, hundreds of arrests and fines, and dozens of criminal cases and prison sentences directed against reporters, editors and media managers. Now the association itself is under attack, threatened with liquidation for shining a light on the actions of Alexander Lukashenko's increasingly unhinged regime, writes Hanna Yahorava.

Why journalists need emergency safe havens

The number of journalists killed while doing their work rose in 2020. It’s no wonder, then, that a team of internationally acclaimed lawyers are advising governments to introduce emergency visas for reporters who have to flee for their lives when work becomes too dangerous, writes Rachael Jolley.

Why we must not change the channel

An old man watching the news/Photo: Amanna Avena

Belarus, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Kashmir. Just five places where freedoms have been under attack this week. Yet the list could have been much longer.

It would be easy to try and avoid these acts of violence by turning off the news, moving onto the next article in the paper and push these awful events to the back of our minds. But we have a responsibility to know, writes our CEO Ruth Smeeth.

Support Index on Censorship's ongoing work

Watch again: Our whistleblower event with Daniel Ellsberg and Brittany Winner

Watch on demand: Our recent magazine launch event explored the importance of the role of whistleblowers in exposing corruption and malpractice. Whistleblowers are extraordinary people, who take incredible risks to bring the rich and powerful to account. This often exacts a terrible personal price, with whistleblowers losing their livelihoods, their mental health and even their freedom. Speakers include Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower behind the Pentagon Papers, which exposed the secret history of American involvement in Vietnam and Brittany Winner, the sister of Reality Winner, the former US intelligence specialist who leaked details of Russian interference in the 2016 American election. Watch the event here.

Index on Censorship defends people's freedom to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution. We publish censored writers and artists, monitor and campaign against censorship, and encourage debate.

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