Exiled Journalists' Network  

The Exiled Journalists’ Network in the United Kingdom is deeply concerned about the situation faced by members of the Belarus Association of Journalists (BAJ) following a formal warning issued to them by the Belarus Ministry of Justice.

The BAJ is an NGO which monitors violations of media freedoms in authoritarian Belarus.  It is an umbrella organization for 1,200 independent journalists and it provides them with free legal aid, information support and trainings.

The Ministry of Justice now says that identity cards issued by BAJ to its members are illegal.  It argues that BAJ is not a media organization but an NGO and it can therefore not include “PRESS” in identity cards for its members.

The Ministry has also declared that activities of BAJ’s Legal Centre for Media Protection are “beyond the Statute of the organization”.  It has issued conflicting and contradictory rules of engagement, which are aimed at ensnaring BAJ members.  Please visit the website of BAJ (www.baj.by/eng) for a fuller account.

BAJ Chair Zhanna Litvina believes this is just an attempt to distract attention from media support and to force organization to think only about defence.  “I think in this way they test us.  And it’s directly connected with the upcoming elections in local councils and the preparation for presidential elections.  We must pass this test,” she added.

"It's difficult to imagine what violations the Ministry could have found suddenly in the regulation which had been in use for several years.  I think we will receive answers to these questions after we appeal to the Supreme Court," said Andrew Bastunets, Deputy Chair of BAJ.

There are real possibilities that BAJ, which has operated since 1995 and is affiliated to major European and international media organizations, could be proscribed.

Belarus has been ruled by one of Europe’s remaining dictators Alexander Lukashenko since 1994.  He’s likely to run again for the office in the elections due in 2011.

Reporters Sans Frontiers (www.rsf.org) ranks Belarus on the Press Freedom Index at 151 out of 175 countries.  It is marginally better than Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, but worse than Sudan, Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

If you want to support Belarus journalists please send letters of protest to EJN: ejn@exiledjournalists.net, 02082237216 or
directly to Belarus Ministry of Justice: e-mail: kanc@minjust.by, 220004 Minsk, Kollektornaya street. 10 Belarus or
to Belarus Ministry of Information: info@mininform.gov.by

Exiled Journalist Network (www.exiledjournalists.net) is London-based, organisation set up to help journalists who have fled to the UK to escape persecution because of their media work. In October 2008 EJN run Belarus Press Freedom Forum at House of Lords. BAJ representatives gave their evidences to international audience.
20.01.10