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December 16, 2025 – Belarus –
Belarusian authorities have freed prominent journalist Maryna Zolatava after she served more than four years in prison, a move welcomed by international press-freedom advocates as a long-delayed acknowledgment of her right to free expression.
Zolatava, a former editor of the independent news outlet Tut.by, was arrested in 2021 along with colleagues from the website following a sweeping government crackdown on independent media. Prosecutors accused her of tax evasion and other financial charges — allegations widely criticized by rights groups as politically motivated attempts to silence critical reporting.
Throughout her detention, Zolatava became a symbol of Belarus’s broader assault on press freedom. Once one of the country’s most widely read news platforms, it was effectively dismantled after authorities seized its offices and blocked access to its website. Zolatava’s imprisonment drew condemnation from journalists’ organisations around the world, who described her prosecution as emblematic of the authoritarian regime’s efforts to suppress independent journalism and control public narrative.
Following her release, Zolatava was reunited with family members. Both CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) hailed the development as a positive step, while stressing that her long incarceration should never have occurred. RSF noted that Zolatava’s detention was part of a “systematic” campaign to stifle free media in Belarus, where independent voices have faced arrests, censorship, and legal harassment in recent years.
In public statements, Zolatava expressed relief at regaining her freedom but underscored that the struggle for independent journalism in Belarus is far from over. She reiterated her commitment to press freedom, even as she acknowledged the personal toll of her imprisonment — including health challenges and years spent away from her work and loved ones.
International rights groups called on Minsk to drop similar politically charged cases against other detained journalists and activists. They pointed to a broader pattern of repression in Belarus under President Alexander Lukashenko’s government, where media outlets independent of the state have been systematically targeted, forced into closure, or driven into exile.
Zolatava’s release comes amid ongoing global attention to the deteriorating human-rights situation in Belarus. While her freedom is being celebrated, advocates warn that many more journalists and critics of the government remain behind bars or under legal threat — underscoring the long road ahead for media freedom in the country.
For Belarus’s journalistic community and international supporters of free speech, Zolatava’s release is both a moment of relief and a reminder of the high cost of independent reporting under authoritarian pressure.
Reference –
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg1r89m6g7o
Belarusian journalist Maryna Zolatava released after serving over 4 years in prison
