In Belarus, the Minsk City Court on Friday sentenced the editor-in-chief of the opposition web publication “Tut.by” Marina Zolotova and the general director Lyudmila Chekina to 12 years in prison.
Zolotova and Chekina were accused of tax evasion, which the Minsk regime often uses as a pretext to silence opponents, and of “inciting hatred”.
Sviatlana Cihanouska, leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition movement, called the verdict another attempt by the regime to kill honest journalism.
The Association of Journalists of Belarus condemned the verdict, describing it as “brutal revenge for the truth”.
The international journalists’ rights organization “Reporters without Borders” called the accusations absurd and emphasized that the process took place behind closed doors.
Several former employees of “Tut.by” fled the country, including to Ukraine, in fear of repressions, and re-established the activity of the media under the name “Zerkalo”.
“Mila, Marina! We are proud of you. Your honesty and endurance are an example for all of us,” Zerkalo employees said in a statement before the verdict was announced.
Belarus sentenced two more critics of the regime to harsh prison sentences on Friday. Political analyst and website editor Valery Kostyugova and founder of the public administration school Tatyana Kuzina have been sentenced to ten years in prison.
They were accused of inciting hatred, undermining national security and supporting the overthrow of the government.