New York, August 6, 2024—Belarusian authorities convicted freelance reporter Ales Sabaleuski and freelance camera operator Yauhen Hlushkou, on extremism charges and sentenced them to four and three years in prison, respectively, on Wednesday, July 31.
“The court’s sentencing of journalists Ales Sabaleuski and Yauhen Hlushkou to three and four years in prison is yet another example of the Belarusian authorities’ relentless harassment of members of the press,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Authorities should immediately release Sabaleuski and Hlushkou, along with all imprisoned journalists, and stop quietly repressing the media in the corridors of Belarus’ rigged judicial system.”
A court in the eastern city of Mahilou convicted the journalists on separate charges of participating in an extremist formation and in an armed formation, according to the banned human rights group Viasna and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), an advocacy and trade group operating from exile.
The court also fined Sabaleuski and Hlushkou 8,000 Belarusian rubles each (US$2,450), according to those sources. CPJ was unable to determine whether the journalists plan to appeal.
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The extremism charges stem from their alleged work with independent news outlet 6TV Bielarus, which the Belarusian security service (KGB) labeled as an extremist group in December, a BAJ representative told CPJ anonymously, citing fear of reprisal. The BAJ representative added that the other charge is likely linked to a donation to help Ukraine.
Belarusian authorities detained Sabaleuski in December 2023 and Hlushkou in early January. CPJ’s email to the Belarusian Investigative Committee did not receive any response.
Belarus is the world’s third-worst jailer of journalists, with at least 28 journalists behind bars on December 1, 2023, when CPJ conducted its most recent prison census.
Committee to Protect Journalists
