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September 22, 2025 – Belarus –
Belarusian journalist and social activist Pavel Mazheika was released and deported from Belarus on 11 September 2025, as part of a broader amnesty that saw over 50 political prisoners freed. Mazheika, affiliated with Belsat TV, had been detained since August 2022.
Before his release, Mazheika had been sentenced by the Grodno Regional Court in July 2023 to six years in a strict-regime prison on a charge of “assisting extremist activities.” His jailing was viewed by press freedom groups as emblematic of Belarus’s crackdown on independent media.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that Mazheika was among at least eight Belarusian journalists released that day. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) similarly included him in a list of nine arbitrarily detained journalists freed under the same action.
Although Mazheika’s release has been welcomed by human rights and media advocacy groups, concerns remain. RSF noted that many of those freed were expelled to Lithuania rather than permitted to resume independent work within Belarus. The organization also reminded that dozens of journalists remain behind bars in Belarus, held on politically motivated charges.
Mazheika’s own statements reflect a desire to see a freer Belarus. After his release, he expressed a wish to help build his homeland into “a normal country” — a country where free journalism is allowed to operate without fear of repression. His case, along with those of his fellow freed journalists, underscores both the high human cost of media suppression and the hopes kindled when political prisoners are released.
While his freedom marks a significant moment, the broader struggle for press freedom in Belarus remains unfinished.
Reference –
Belarus frees at least 8 journalists unjustly detained for years
