15 Belarusian journalists working for foreign media lose accreditation
Aug 30, 2020
Minsk [Belarus], Aug 30 : Authorities have stripped the accreditation of 15 Belarusian journalists working for foreign media outlets, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ).
The move comes after these journalists were reporting on the protests which erupted across Belarus after longtime President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term in a disputed presidential election, which critics say results were rigged, CNN reported.
In a statement, BBC confirmed to CNN that the licenses of two journalists, working for its Russian service in Minsk, were taken away with immediate effect.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this stifling of independent journalism. We call upon the Belarusian authorities to revoke this decision and allow our journalists to continue doing their jobs," Charlotte Morgan, the BBC's Head of Communications, told CNN.
The BAJ said that 50 journalists were detained by Belarusian authorities in another move against press freedom. Of the journalists who were detained, all of them except four, who did not hand over their phones, were released later.
Earlier on Friday, EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell reiterated that the bloc "does not recognise the result of the election" and criticised the Belarusian government's crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
"We once again express our full support to Belarus' sovereignty and independence and condemn the violent repression of the Belarusian people," Borrell was quoted as saying by CNN.
He said the EU will impose sanctions on several Belarusian officials for the alleged role in the "fraudulent" presidential polls and in the crackdown against demonstrators. "This designation shall include individuals at the high political level," he added.
Protests in Belarus have been ongoing since August 9 after Lukashenko won over 80 per cent of the vote as opposed to his key contender Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who managed less than 10 per cent in the presidential election, according to the official figures. The Belarusian opposition refused to recognise the results and people took to the streets to demand the president's resignation.
Lukashenko has been the President of Belarus since 1994 and is often referred to as "Europe's last dictator".
