IWMF Demands Immediate Release of Jailed Journalists in Belarus
The International Women’s Media Foundation is calling on the government of Belarus to immediately release imprisoned journalists arrested for reporting the news, in the aftermath of the presidential election, IWMF Executive Director Liza Gross said.
“In particular, we are alarmed at the formal charges filed against Iryna Khalip, an IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner who has been accused of instigating mass riots and faces possibly 15 years in prison. We demand her immediate release, and are outraged by the lack of medical treatment for her husband, opposition presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, who was severely beaten and imprisoned. We are deeply concerned about the fate of their 3-year-old son, and the efforts to force Khalip’s parents to undergo comprehensive medical tests to obtain legal custody of the boy,” she said.
“The world is watching with increasing alarm, as Belarusian authorities silence press coverage and crackdown on freedom of expression. We appeal to you to reconsider these hard-line tactics and restore honor for the government of Belarus by releasing journalists who were just doing their jobs – covering the news. We demand that you immediately halt KGB searches of offices and homes of journalists in Belarus, and the continued harassment of independent media.”