WASHINGTON – As protesters remain unyielding in the weeks since the August 9 election they say was rigged handed Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term, authorities are escalating their attacks against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and other independent media.
“Authorities are treating the media in an increasingly arbitrary manner. Not only are they refusing to accredit journalists, but they are using a variety of pretexts to detain fully credentialed journalists to prevent them from reporting what they see,” RFE/RL Acting President Daisy Sindelar said on August 28. “We are also alarmed that authorities have threatened to bring arbitrary charges against journalists who refuse police orders to surrender photos and other information. This is blatant retaliation, and an outrageous breach of norms and laws.”