MINSK -- The head of the Belarusian Press Club, Yulia Slutskaya, has been detained by police in Minsk. Authorities have also searched the offices of the independent journalistic organization and the homes of some of its members.
Slutskaya's relatives said on December 22 that she was detained when she arrived back in Belarus after a holiday abroad where she had spent time with her daughter and grandchildren. The relatives said they do not know Slutskaya's current whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the program director of the Belarusian Press Club, Ala Sharko, informed the Belarusian Journalists' Association that police stormed into her apartment on December 22.
Sharko's lawyer, Syarhey Zikratski, says police forced him out when he arrived at the apartment during the search operation.
The Belarusian Press Club said via its Instagram account that police also searched the apartment of Syarhey Yakupau, the director of the group's educational programs.
The moves come just days after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) listed Belarus as a country where authorities have significantly increased their arrests of reporters in recent months..
The arrests come as mass protests continue across the country over a disputed presidential election in August.
Election officials in Minsk say incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka won a landslide victory. Opposition supporters say the results were rigged in Lukashenka's favor.
Since August, at least 373 journalists have been arrested in Belarus. At least six remain in custody.
In October, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry revoked media accreditations from several foreign news organizations in a move widely criticized as an attempt to stifle reporting about ongoing anti-government demonstrations.
Founded in 2011, the Belarusian Press Club calls itself "a platform for professional development of independent media and journalists."
Belarusian Press Club's Chief Detained; Offices And Homes Searched
Related
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Putin Says Ready For Peace Talks, But Not With 'Illegitimate' Zelenskyy
2Russian Champion Skaters Naumov, Shishkova Among Scores Of Passengers Dead In D.C. Plane Crash
3Syria's New Government Leaves Russia's Navy Adrift
4Who Were Vadim Naumov And Evgenia Shishkova?
5Hungary Blocks Joint EU Statement On Presidential Elections In Belarus -- Sources
6Belarus Releases Detained U.S. Citizen Anastasia Nuhfer, Says Washington
7China Supplying Key Chemicals For Russian Missiles, RFE/RL Investigation Finds
8Ukraine Giving Up Nukes Was 'Absolutely Stupid, Illogical, And Very Irresponsible,' Zelenskyy Says
9Ukraine Live Briefing: Putin Again Rules Out Face-To-Face With Zelenskyy
10As Putin Spends Billions On War, Russians Struggle To Afford Homes
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
