Belarus: CFWIJ Demands The Immediate And Unconditional Release Of Journalist Yekaterina Yanshina

Location:  Belarus, Minsk
Date: January 6, 2023

A court in Minsk has ordered journalist Yekaterina Yanshina to 15 days in jail for “petty hooliganism”. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands that Belarusian authorities immediately release Yekaterina Yanshina and let the journalist work freely. 

On January 6, a judge ruled that journalist Yekaterina Yanshina be detained for 15 days in jail under Article 19.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Yanshina was physically absent in the courtroom, and was forbidden to communicate privately with her lawyer. The journalist was only allowed to communicate with the judge over Skype from the detention facility hallway.

Yekaterina Yanshina is a journalist and human rights defender. In her reportage, she has covered human rights issues and human rights laws in Russia. Since 2021 Yanshina has worked as reporter for the independent news website Advokatskaya Ulitsa, where she covers issues pertaining to lawyers’ rights. In Autumn of 2022, she started closely collaborating with the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Human Rights Society "Memorial", an organization that provides legal assistance to victims of gross human rights violations and is involved in human rights education, research and publications.

On January 5, 2023, Yanshina traveled to Belarus on assignment to cover developments in the prosecution of Human Rights Center “Viasna” leaders Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich. The trial was held on January 5 at 11 a.m. (Belarus time) in the Leninsky District Court in Minsk. At the end of the first day of hearings, as Yanshina was leaving the courtroom, several law enforcement officials, and alleged KGB officers, detained the journalist.

The bailiffs present in the courtroom claimed that Yanshina was disrupting the hearing by allegedly taking photographs and broadcasting the proceedings online. Law enforcement officers escorted Yanshina to one of the courtrooms "for a conversation.” Memorial co-chair Oleg Orlov, who was also in attendance at the hearing, was threatened with violence by law enforcement officials in case he made any attempts to accompany the journalist. Officials told Yanshina they needed to check her mobile and take her to "draft a document" at the Maskouski District Police Department in Minsk.

Once in the other courtroom, the officials then led Yanshina out of the building through a second exit. Orlov was unable to see Yanshina leave the building. When Orlov arrived at the Police Department, police officers denied Yanshina's presence. The journalist's whereabouts remained obscure until the following morning. 

Memorial noted that flagrant misconduct was used against Yanshina. Not only was the journalist prohibited to speak to her lawyer in private, but was also not provided evidence of the offense and violation she was being accused of. In addition, the police reports had numerous errors. 

Natalia Sekretaryova, the head of the Memorial human rights center’s legal department, told the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) that Yanshina did not take any video or photos, and the Viasna trial “was open, so anyone could attend it.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends its support to Yekaterina Yanshina and demands the end of legal harassment against the journalist. We urge Belarusian authorities to stand by their international human rights obligations, as well as to respect and protect the work of journalists as a critical part of democracy. Journalists must be able to report freely without reprisal or censorship. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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