Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

 On behalf of media organizations and journalistic associations of Armenia, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Sweden we express our support and solidarity with our colleagues from Belarus. Journalists of Belarusian and foreign media as well as bloggers covering the protests in the country, are subjected to severe violence and pressure from the authorities.

Unrestricted and safe work of journalists is protected by international conventions and laws of all civilized countries. Obstructing the work of journalists is a violation of the Belarusian law.

Detentions, physical violence, damage to the equipment of Belarusian and foreign journalists working in the country, disconnection of the Internet and other numerous violations of journalists’ rights and freedom of speech should be immediately stopped and investigated, and the law enforcement officers who carried them out and the executives who gave the respective orders should be severely punished.

We are closely following the development of the situation

We express our support and admiration for how, in conditions of severe violence and lack of safe working conditions, our Belarusian colleagues continue to cover the events taking place in the country. We use your publications to inform our audiences about what is happening in Belarus, and we are grateful to you for this work.

We call on fellow journalists and media organizations from other countries to express their position on what is happening in Belarus and call on their governments to exercise their diplomatic and economic influence in order to end violence against journalists, bloggers, activists and citizens of Belarus.

The statement is open for other signatories.

 

Yerevan Press Club, Armenia

Media Initiatives Center, Armenia

Journalists for the Future NGO

Public Journalism Club, Armenia

Freedom of Information Center, Armenia

Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, Armenia

"Investigative Journalists" NGO, Armenia

Journalists' Club "Asparez, Amenia

Association of Regional Media, Georgia

Association of Independent Press, Moldova (API)

Electronic Press Association from Moldova (APEL)

Center of Independent Journalism, Moldova (CJI)

Association of Environmental Journalism and Environmental Tourism, Moldova (AJMTEM)

RISE-Moldova

Committee for Freedom of the Press, Moldova (CFP)

Center for Journalistic Investigations, Moldova

Association of Journalists of Latvia

Media Center of Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), Riga, Lativa

Association of Local Newspapers, Poland

Association of Press Clubs, Poland

Alliance of Independent Regional Publishers (ANRI), Russia

Foundation for Independent Radio Broadcasting (FNR), Russia

Fojo Media Institute, Sweden

Donetsk Institute for Information, Ukraine

Detector Media, Ukraine

Regional Press Development Institute, Ukraine

Institute of Mass Information (IMI), Ukraine

Independent Media Trade Union, Ukraine

Independent Association of Meida, Ukraine

Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communications

Commission on journalistic ethics

‘Women in Media’ NGO, Ukraine

 

August 14, 2020