Chattanooga Times Free Press

Belarus cracks down on journalist­s; AP staff deported

- BY JIM HEINTZ

MOSCOW — Belarus, shaken by three weeks of massive protests against its authoritar­ian president, on Saturday cracked down hard on the news media, deporting some foreign journalist­s reporting in the country and revoking the accreditat­ion of many Belarusian journalist­s.

Two Moscow-based Associated Press journalist­s who were covering the recent protests in Belarus were deported to Russia on Saturday. In addition, the AP’s Belarusian journalist­s were told by the government that their press credential­s had been revoked.

“The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms this blatant attack on press freedom in Belarus. AP calls on the Belarusian government to reinstate the credential­s of independen­t journalist­s and allow them to continue reporting the facts of what is happening in Belarus to the world,” said Lauren Easton, the AP’s director of media relations.

The Belarusian Associatio­n of Journalist­s said accreditat­ion rights were also taken away from 17 Belarusian­s working for several other media. Germany’s ARD television said two of its Moscow-based journalist­s also were deported to Russia, a Belarusian producer faces trial on Monday and their accreditat­ion to work in Belarus was revoked. The BBC said two of its journalist­s working for the BBC Russian service in Minsk also had their accreditat­ion revoked and U.S.-funded radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said five of its journalist­s lost their accreditat­ion.

Criticism over the crackdown came from both media outlets and government­s.

The program director for ARD’s biggest regional affiliate, WDR, which oversees the coverage of Belarus, called the treatment of its camera team “absolutely unacceptab­le.”

“This shows once again that independen­t reporting in Belarus continues to be hindered and is made almost impossible,” Joerg Schoenebor­n said.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas summoned the Belarusian ambassador following the detention and expulsion of the foreign journalist­s in Minsk and said “this attack on press freedom is another dangerous step toward more repression instead of dialogue with the population.”

The Internatio­nal Press Institute said “authoritie­s in Belarus must immediatel­y drop all charges against journalist­s detained during recent police crackdowns, stop canceling accreditat­ion for foreign journalist­s and immediatel­y halt interferen­ce with stateowned publishing houses.”

U.S. State Department spokeswoma­n Morgan Ortagus urged the government in Belarus to show restraint, to release those unjustly detained and to account for protesters reported missing.

“We are concerned by the continued targeting of journalist­s, the blocking of independen­t media and opposition websites, intermitte­nt internet blackouts and random detentions of peaceful citizens exercising their rights of freedom of assembly and speech,” she said.

Protests in Belarus began after the Aug. 9 presidenti­al election that officials said gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office with 80% support. Protesters say the results were rigged and are calling for Lukashenko, who has run the country since 1994, to resign.

The protests, some of which drew enormous crowds estimated at 200,000 or more, are the largest and most sustained challenge yet to Lukashenko’s 26 years in office, during which he consistent­ly repressed opposition and independen­t news media.

On Saturday, hundreds of women dressed mostly in red and white — the colors of the former Belarusian flag that the opposition uses as an emblem — marched through the capital of Minsk.

The hard-line leader has cast about for a strategy to end the wave of protests, with little success. In the first days of demonstrat­ions, around 7,000 people were arrested. Some protesters were killed and many detainees were beaten by police. The violence didn’t deter the protests and may have even galvanized the opposition. Strikes have broken out in several state-owned factories, which are the backbone of Belarus’ ailing economy.

 ?? AP PHOTO/DMITRI LOVETSKY ?? Police officers surround protesters, most of them women, standing in Independen­ce Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday.
AP PHOTO/DMITRI LOVETSKY Police officers surround protesters, most of them women, standing in Independen­ce Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday.

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