Belarusian editor detained amid crackdown on journalists
KYIV, Ukraine -- The chief editor of a popular Internet news site in one of Belarus’ largest cities was detained and his residence searched amid a crackdown on independent journalists and opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Police said Sunday they were investigating Hrodna.life
editor Aliaksei Shota on suspicion of extremism. The publication focuses on
Belarus’ fifth-largest city Grodno.
City police said the website “posted information products
that were duly recognized as extremist,” but did not give details. The website
said he was held by police for several hours before being released, and that computer
hard drives were taken by police from his home.
Shota has collaborated with the country’s most popular
internet portal Tut.by, which authorities closed this month after arresting 15
employees.
Belarus’ crackdown escalated a week ago with the arrest of
dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich jand his girlfriend who were aboard a
commercial flight that was diverted to the Minsk airport because of an alleged
bomb threat. The flight was flying over Belarus en route from Athens, Greece,
to Vilnius, Lithuania.
The move sparked wide denunciation in the West as an act of
hijacking and demands for Pratasevich's release. The European Union banned
flights from Belarus.
Pratasevich is charged with organizing riots, a charge that
carries a potential sentence of 15 years.
The day after his arrest, authorities released a brief video
in which Pratasevich said he was confessing, but observers said the statement
appeared to be forced.
The Belarusian human rights group Viasna said Sunday that
Pratasevich had received a package from his sister but that an unspecified book
had been taken from it.
Large protests broke out last August after a presidential
election that officials said overwhelmingly gave a sixth term in office to
Lukashenko, who has consistently repressed opposition since coming to power in
1994.
Police detained more than 30,000 people in the course of the
protests, which persisted for months. Although protests died down during the
winter, authorities have continued strong actions against opposition supporters
and independent journalists.
Comments
Post a Comment