Williams Babalola
Two journalists have been sentenced to two years imprisonment each for filming a live video of protests against Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko.
Authorities in the ex-Soviet country are pursuing a number of criminal cases against activists and journalists in the wake of months of anti-government protests last year.
The November protests, which started after the election won by Lukashenko, but generally condemned as a fraud, left at least, four protesters dead and thousands others in jail.
The two journalists, Katsiaryna Andreyeva, 27, and Darya Chultsova, 23, staff of Poland-based TV news channel Belsat on Thursday we’re detained in an apartment where they were filming the protest and killings of protesters.
Several international human rights groups have condemned their detention and asked for their immediate release.
Both women pleaded not guilty after being accused of orchestrating the demonstrations by filming them.
The two journalists appeared in a cage at the hearing on Thursday, making “V” for victory signs.
Earlier, Andreyeva had said, “Every time I went to work, I risked my health and life. I managed to hide from rubber bullets, explosions of stun grenades, blows from truncheons. My colleagues were much less fortunate. I have everything: youth, a job that I love, fame and, most importantly, a clear conscience.”
The verdict in their trial came after police earlier this week said they raided around 90 homes and offices of journalists, rights defenders and trade union members.
It also came a day after a trial began in the case of leading opposition member, Viktor Babaryko, who was arrested in June ahead of the presidential election after he announced he would run against Lukashenko.
The crackdown prompted Western countries to impose new sanctions on Minsk. Lukashenko has refused to step down, buttressed by support from Moscow, which sees Belarus as a buffer state against the European Union and NATO.
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