Belarus: CFWIJ Demands The Immediate Release Of Ksenia Lutskina Given Her Deteriorating Health Condition
Location: Belarus
Date: August 30, 2021
Former journalist Ksenia Lutskina has been in prison for over eight months. Earlier, she was accused of large-scale tax evasion. Ksenia was first implicated in the investigation against the Belarusian Press Club, but she is now facing new criminal charges. There is little information about the case since the defense lawyer signed a non-disclosure agreement.
The most alarming fact is that Ksenia has developed regrowth in the tumor she was formerly treated for. According to her family, Ksenia has been taking painkillers and was taken for an MRI twice. The CFWIJ is concerned for Ksenia’s health and safety. We demand the journalist be released from jail and provided with emergency medical care. Persecuting voices of opposition is a menacing pattern that has become standard practice in the country.
Sources close to Ksenia state the tumor, which was in remission for years, has started to grow again. The journalist suffers constant headaches and takes several painkillers. She was detained on December 22, 2020, at a department store. Later, police raided her home and confiscated her documents and equipment. For 15 years, Ksenia worked in TV and made several documentaries, though she resigned after the controversial presidential elections of August 9. She had the intention of launching an alternative channel and joined the coordinating council at the Press Club, where she had the duty of managing press relations. Apparently, this affiliation brought her under attack.
The details of the new charges filed against her cannot be traced because of a non-disclosure agreement between her lawyer and the authorities. Other individuals taken under investigation at the Press Club case have been released after paying 200,000 rubles and signing an apology in Lukashenka’s name. Ksenia reportedly refused to sign any such apology.
Now, the journalist’s family is deeply concerned for her health. She underwent a major operation in 2012 and was being examined every year. She was previously in good health, but her condition has greatly deteriorated during her prolonged detention. Her family has demanded that she needs to see a neurologist to determine the best course of treatment.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands the immediate release of Ksenia Lutskina. We urge Belarusian authorities to provide her with urgent and appropriate medical care. The CFWIJ stands in solidarity with the courageous journalist and wishes her a speedy recovery.
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.
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