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Nanovic Institute for European Studies
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4. Censorship and New Media Alternatives In the months since the 2020 election, the media has become a prime battleground between the autocratic tendencies of the Lukashenko regime and the desire for freedom and democracy among the Belarusian people. While Lukashenko had long restricted media freedom in Belarus and detained journalists, his crackdown on independent media accelerated in the face of the intense post-election protests.46 Dozens of journalists covering the peaceful demonstrations were detained and brutalized at the notorious Akrestsina detention center and then released without charges on the condition that they delete their protest coverage.47 Even ordinary people were arrested over comments on social media: Mikhail Bohdan and Valyantsina Pisaruk were both given two-year parole-like sentences for insulting the police online.48 In all, nearly 500 journalists, media employees, bloggers and online activists were arrested.49 In an attempt to further censor independent media, Lukashenko passed the Law of Mass Media in May of 2021, which “prohibits the media from reporting on unauthorized mass gatherings and publishing opinion polls without having their results approved by the Belarus government.”50 In effect, the law has enabled the government to shut down media organizations without a court order. TUT.by, one of Belarus’s most significant independent media outlets, was accused of violating the law and subsequently denied journalism accreditations, resulting in its
Carmela Caruso, “In Belarus, Media Jailing Used as Tool of Censorship,” VOA News, last modified November 17, 2021, https://www.voanews.com/a/in-belarus-media-jailings-used-as-tool-of-censorship-/6315919.html. 47 Said, “Four press freedom trends.” 48 “Belarus Launches New Criminal Case Against Independent Tut.by Journalists,” Radio Free Europe, October 7, 2021, https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-crackdown-independent-media/31497936.html. 49 “Belarus: Freedom on the Net 2021 Country Report,” Freedom House, Accessed January 3, 2022, https://freedomhouse.org/country/belarus/freedom-net/2021. 50 Shriansh Jaiswal, “Belarus’ New Media Law: A Nightmare for Journalistic Freedom,” The Promise Students’ Human Rights Blog, UCLA School of Law, August 17, 2021, https://www.promisehumanrights.blog/blog/2021/8/belarus-new-media-law-a-nightmare-for-journalistic-freedom. 46
University of Notre Dame | Keough School of Global Affairs
