Belarusian authorities have deported some foreign journalists for reporting into the country and withdrew the credentials of several Belarusian journalists protesting anti-government protests that erupted after the disputed presidential election earlier this month.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to denounce President Alexander Lukashenko’s victory in the recent Gust vote, which his opponents say was cracked down on. Many people have been killed and hundreds injured during the violent police crackdown, with thousands of protesters detained.
Ahead of the second protest on Sunday, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said that at least 17 journalists had been stripped of their credentials. Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One of them was a video journalist and photographer for the Reuters news agency, two for the BBC and four for Radio Liberty.
“We strongly condemn this pressure from independent journalism,” the BBC reported on Saturday.
The Associated Press news agency also reported that two Moscow-based journalists covering recent demonstrations in Belarus were deported to Russia on Saturday. Also, Belarusian journalists from the AP were told by the government that their press credentials had been revoked.
“The Associated Press has decided in the strongest terms this vain attack on press freedom in Belarus. The APA has called on the Belarussian government to re-establish the credentials of independent journalists and to keep them informed of the realities of what is happening in Belarus.” Said Lauren Easton, the news agency’s director of media relations.
Germany’s ARD television said two of its Moscow-based journalists were also deported to Russia, the Belarusian producer faces trial on Monday and his recognition of working in Belarus was revoked.
The decision was taken on the recommendation of the country’s anti-terrorism unit, AFP news agency quoted government spokeswoman Anatoly Glass as saying.
In a comment at a government meeting on July 23, Lukashenko threatened to expel foreign journalists, accusing them of protesting before voting.
“President Lukashenko has previously complained about the coverage of the protests by foreign media in Belarus, and has spoken out against the foreign media,” Bernard Smith of Al Jazeera reported from Lithuania’s Vilnius.
He noted that most of the journalists affected by Saturday’s move were Belarusians working for foreign media organizations.
“They run the risk of being arrested if they continue to work without recognition,” Smith said.
‘Fear and intimidation’
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhnovskaya, who is in exile in Lithuania, said on Saturday that the government was concerned about targeting the media.
“The only way to stay in power is through fear and intimidation,” he said.
Separately on Saturday, some Western embassies in Minsk issued harsh statements.
“We condemn the disproportionate use of force and urge Belarusian authorities to refrain from violence and threats to use military force against the country’s own citizens and to release immediately and unconditionally all illegal detainees,” the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom said in a statement. The European Union said in a joint statement.
“Intimidation and prosecution on political grounds are essential. We call on Belarusian authorities to respect the country’s fundamental democracy and international obligations on human rights.”
The protests, which drew an estimated huge crowd of 200,000 or more people, are the biggest and most enduring challenge of Lukashenko’s 26 years in office, during which he continued to protest and suppress independent news media.
Dubbed by critics as “Europe’s last dictator”, Lukashenko He has condemned the Western conspiracy to bring him down and has denied the allegations of intimidation.
The results of the presidential election have been rejected by the European Union, which is preparing sanctions against top Belarusian officials.
Katsirina Schmitisina of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies told Al Jazeera that sanctions against “individuals convicted of human rights abuses in Belarus” are “an important step” but added that “the regime takes into account the cost of doing this business.”
“This will not stop them from intimidating the Belarusians further.”
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