Belarus’s Media Purge Deepens with Two More Arrests

October 25, 2024 – Belarus –

Belarusian authorities arrested two prominent journalists—Ihar Ilyash and Daniil Palianski—in a continuing crackdown on independent media. Their detentions, denounced by the International Press Institute (IPI) and Belarusian Journalists’ Association (BAJ), occurred within a week of each other and reflect intensifying repression under President Alexander Lukashenko.

Ilyash, a veteran reporter and husband of imprisoned Katsiaryna Andreyeva (formerly of Belsat TV), was detained in late October. A video released by the KGB showed him confessing to “providing comments to independent media,” including interviews on his wife’s imprisonment and Belarus’s potential involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His abrupt detention and forced confession underscore the regime’s use of coercion and national security rhetoric to justify crackdowns.

Just days later, Daniil Palianski, a freelance journalist with experience in both state and private TV, was arrested under opaque charges. His detention likely stems from past journalistic activities. The vagueness of the accusations—possibly extremist or treason-related—reveals a broader strategy to criminalize journalism itself.

These arrests occurred amid an expanding state campaign: hundreds of journalists have fled, dozens remain jailed, media outlets have been shut down or branded “extremist,” and access to independent platforms has been severely restricted. As of late 2024, 45 media workers were imprisoned—a record high in independent Belarus.

IPI and BAJ have demanded the immediate release of Ilyash and Palianski, citing gross violations of press freedom and due process. The international community, including the EU and human rights groups, has increasingly condemned Belarus as “Europe’s most dangerous country for journalists,” urging transparent legal action and urging the government to cease politically motivated detentions.

Belarus’s authoritarian regime continues to wield anti-extremism laws and judicial pressure to squash independent journalism. The arrests of Ilyash and Palianski are symptomatic of a larger assault on free expression—one that erodes civic space, deepens self-censorship, and silences critical voices.

Reference –

Belarus: IPI condemns arrests of two more journalists