Members of the European Parliament and invited experts will discuss the human rights situation of journalists in Belarus on Monday 12 July at 14.45 - 16.15 CEST.
The meeting will be the second in a series of gatherings organised by the European Parliament platform set up to examine how to fight impunity in Belarus. This time it will focus on the situation facing Belarusian independent media and journalists in the country. The initiative aims to respond to the severe human rights situation in Belarus, which has unfolded since the contested presidential elections of 9 August last year. Since then, the country’s security forces have forcefully cracked down on media representatives, among others. According to Reporters without Borders, Belarus is currently the most dangerous country in Europe for media personnel, with 25 journalists and dozens of bloggers currently in prison on criminal charges. This number does not include the staff of newspaper Nasha Niva, detained on 8 July, whose fate is still unknown.
The meeting aims to provide a space for those affected to come together with MEPs to explore how the EU and the international community can provide operational and more strategic support to Belarusian non-state affiliated media and investigative journalists.
Prominent speakers to address MEPs
MEPs will listen to a range of invited experts, followed by a discussion.
Belarusian guest speakers are:
- Stanislav Ivashkevich, independent journalist and head of investigations at Belsat TV. He was detained on 9 August last year while covering the voting at polling stations and later tortured at the infamous Akrestsina Detention Centre in Minsk.
- Natalia Belikova, a representative of the 'Belarus in Focus Information Office', which unites several non-governmental organisations in the media sphere and conducts regular monitoring of the situation in Belarus. Some of her colleagues are imprisoned.
- Daria Losik, wife of jailed Belarusian blogger Ihar Losik. Mr Losik is currently on trial in Belarus and has previously launched hunger strikes to protest the charges against him. He has also attempted to commit suicide since his detention.
In addition, there will also be interventions from:
- Adam Michnik, Editor-in-Chief, Gazeta Wyborcza;
- Antoine Bernard, Director of Advocacy and Strategic Litigation, Reporters without Borders;
- Irene Khan, UN Special Representative on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression;
- Teresa Ribeiro, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media;
- Matevz Pezdirc, Head of the Genocide Network secretariat, Eurojust.
You can follow the meeting live here.
WHEN: 12 July, 14.45 - 16.15 CEST.
WHERE: Room 2Q2 in the European Parliament’s Antall building in Brussels and remote participation.
PRESS BRIEFING: MEPs, Mr Ivashkevich and Ms Belikova will also organise a press briefing after the debate at 16.15. More information here.
Here is the meeting agenda.
Background
The European Parliament has addressed the media situation in Belarus in several resolutions since the fraudulent presidential elections last year. In its most recent text of 10 June, MEPs condemned the suppression of independent media in the country and called for the EU and other international organisations to provide financial and technical support to media outlets and independent journalists working on covering the atrocities.
Parliament’s platform on the fight against impunity in Belarus was launched on 26 March by Members on the Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the delegations for relations with Belarus and the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.