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Nikalayevich’s release marks a rare closure in Belarus’s pattern of punishing critical reporting
Yauhen Nikalayevich, a former video correspondent for Media-Polesye, has been released from prison after serving a one-and-a-half-year sentence related to protests in Belarus. He was convicted by the Pinsk City and District Court on charges of “severely disrupting public order”—charges connected to his coverage of demonstrations in Pinsk in 2020.
His arrest took place in early 2024, after he returned to Belarus following a previous period of exile prompted by earlier detentions. During the 2020 protests, he had been detained and allegedly beaten while performing journalistic duties. Though he faced short detentions previously, rights groups viewed his latest, heavier sentence as politically motivated.
While imprisoned, Nikalayevich was designated by observers and human rights advocates as a political prisoner. Upon completing his full sentence, he was freed and returned home.
His case is emblematic of Belarus’s broader repression of independent journalism, in which authorities frequently harness public order or safety laws to silence dissenting voices. His release—via the formal completion of a contested sentence rather than acquittal—reinforces concerns about the defensiveness built into the country’s judicial approach to critical reporting.
To read the full story – https://tjcproject.org/former-media-polesye-journalist-yauhen-nikalayevich-freed-after-serving-sentence/