Location: Belarus
Date: July 2, 2021

Valeria Kostyugova, an independent analyst and editor of the Belarusian Yearbook, is in detention after authorities searched her residence on June 30. The case and charges against Valeria have yet to be confirmed. Her husband was eventually released, but she remains in custody at a detention center on Akrestsin Street. Reportedly, the raid on her apartment was carried out by KGB authorities (State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus). CFWIJ condemns the harassment against the journalist and demands state authorities release her from unwarranted detention. The impediments to the free press in Belarus are alarming. The current government must end its targeting of independent journalists and human rights activists.

The head of the Warsaw Center of Political Analysis and Forecasting, Pavel Usau, shared the details of the case on his Facebook account. He said, “The regime has taken over on analysts. After destroying the space of expression, the destruction of the thought process has begun in Belarus. I was informed that Valeria Kostyugova, a Belarusian political analyst, is being searched.”

Pavel Usau shared further details in another Facebook post, stating, “According to the information, the search was conducted by KGB officials. At the moment, she is in detention of either KGB or SK. There are no exact details about what caused this oppression against her.”

Valeria’s daughter Anastasia also expressed her concerns on Twitter, posting a thread stating, “I just learned that my parents’ house was being searched.” She was unable to get in touch with her parents, but later she confirmed her father was not taken away, but her mother is on Akrestsin Street.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces the detention of Valeria Kostyugova and demands her immediate release. The press freedom situation in Belarus is highly perturbing. CFWIJ has designed an in-focus page to shed light on the threats and violations against women journalists in Belarus. We demand state authorities to stop persecuting women journalists and human rights activists.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.