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A court in Belarus has sentenced two prominent independent journalists to lengthy prison terms on charges of high treason, marking another severe blow to press freedom in the authoritarian Eastern European nation, according to a media rights group announcement on Friday.
Uladzimir Yanukevich, 65, the founder and editor of Intex-Press and BAR24 media outlets, received a 14-year sentence, while his 44-year-old colleague Andrei Pakalenka was sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Their news platforms were among Belarus’s most widely read independent media sources before the crackdown.
The trial at the Regional Court in Brest, a city along the Polish border, took place behind closed doors, leaving many details of the charges shrouded in secrecy. State television reports alleged connections between the journalists and the German Embassy, though no evidence was publicly presented to substantiate these claims.
“These horrific sentences show that the authorities have no intention of halting the most sweeping repressions against journalists in Europe, now in its sixth year,” said Andrei Bastunets, head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, speaking to The Associated Press. “Any dissent is harshly punished by the authorities.”
The association also reported that Yanukevich, who suffers from serious health issues, has been denied adequate medical care while in detention—raising additional human rights concerns about his treatment.
The convictions come against the backdrop of President Alexander Lukashenko’s 30-year authoritarian rule over Belarus. Following the country’s disputed 2020 presidential election, widely condemned by international observers as fraudulent, Lukashenko’s regime launched an unprecedented crackdown on dissent when hundreds of thousands of citizens protested the results.
The government’s response was swift and severe: more than 65,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten by security forces, and hundreds of independent media organizations and NGOs were forcibly closed and declared illegal. Many journalists and opposition figures fled the country to avoid persecution.
According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, 28 media workers are currently imprisoned in Belarus for their professional activities.
Yanukevich and Pakalenka were among seven journalists from Intex-Press detained in December 2024 after authorities searched their editorial offices and homes. Four of their colleagues were convicted last August on charges of aiding “extremist activities”—a broadly applied label the Belarusian government routinely uses to silence independent voices.
The repression of journalists continued Friday as the Minsk City Court began proceedings against Pavel Dabravolski, another independent journalist who faces high treason charges. Dabravolski, who has worked for both Belarusian and international media, has been in custody since January 2025.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the sentences, telling the Associated Press, “Journalism is not a crime, and the convicted journalists are victims of the authorities who are building a totalitarian state. Lukashenko’s regime fears the truth more than anything.”
The ongoing persecution of journalists reflects Belarus’s deeper isolation from Western democracies. The country has faced significant international sanctions since its violent suppression of the 2020 protests and its role in supporting Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by allowing Russian forces to use Belarusian territory.
In recent months, Lukashenko has made gestures toward improving relations with Western nations, including the release of hundreds of political prisoners. However, these overtures have been contradicted by the continued prosecution of dissidents and journalists.
According to the Viasna human rights group, Belarus currently holds 1,143 political prisoners—a figure that underscores the systematic nature of the government’s repression despite its diplomatic maneuvers.
The latest sentences highlight Belarus’s position as one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists and demonstrate the Lukashenko regime’s ongoing determination to eliminate independent media coverage within its borders.
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9 Comments
It’s alarming to see Belarus continuing its authoritarian assault on free speech and the press. These journalists should be released immediately, and the government must respect fundamental democratic rights. The international community should condemn this egregious abuse of power.
I agree, the lack of transparency around the charges and trials is extremely troubling. The Belarusian government seems determined to silence all critical voices, which will only further isolate the country.
This is a deeply troubling development that highlights the dire state of press freedom in Belarus. Sentencing journalists to lengthy prison terms without transparency or due process is a brazen attack on independent media. The Belarusian government must be held accountable for these repressive actions.
This is a worrying trend of media suppression in Belarus. Sentencing journalists to lengthy prison terms without due process undermines the rule of law and freedom of expression. The international community should demand the immediate release of these reporters.
Absolutely. The Belarusian government’s crackdown on independent media is an assault on democratic values. These imprisonments are a clear attempt to silence critical voices and tighten the regime’s grip on power.
It’s tragic to see Belarus, once part of the Soviet bloc, continuing to restrict press freedoms in this way. These journalists should not be punished for simply doing their jobs and reporting the news. The authorities must respect basic human rights.
What a disturbing development. Imprisoning journalists on opaque treason charges is a hallmark of totalitarian regimes, not democratic societies. The Belarusian authorities must reverse course and uphold press freedoms.
This is a deeply concerning crackdown on press freedom in Belarus. Imprisoning journalists for treason with no public evidence is a blatant violation of basic human rights. The authorities must be held accountable for these repressive actions against independent media.
This is yet another disturbing example of the Lukashenko regime’s disregard for fundamental civil liberties. Imprisoning reporters on spurious charges of treason is a blatant violation of press freedom. The international community must condemn these actions in the strongest terms.