Belarus: CFWIJ welcomes Darya Chultsova’s release, denounces two-year imprisonment
Location: Belarus, MinskDate: September 12, 2022
The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the release of Darya Chultsova after serving nearly two years in prison. Darya, camera operator at Poland-based independent Belurasian broadcaster Belsat TV, was released on September 3 from a women’s prison in southwestern Gomel. She was jailed for almost two-years on charges of "organizing public events aimed at disrupting civil order," which she rejected as politically motivated. CFWIJ is relieved at Darya’s release and strongly condemns the legal ordeal she was put through. We emphasize that Darya should never have been imprisoned to begin with.
Darya was arrested in November 2020, along with her colleague Katsiaryna Andreyeva, while live-streaming incidents of police brutality in Minsk during a rally held in memory of murdered dissident Raman Bandarenka.
In February 2021, they were each sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order”. The police accused them of “coordinating protesters and calling for further actions”, and claimed that their actions resulted in property damage, the CFWIJ reported at the time.
The Frundenski district court of Minsk convicted the two journalists dismissing the defence’s arguments that the prosecution’s case was flimsy. Darya and Katsiaryna maintained that they were on ground to cover the protest. Announcing the verdict, the judge ordered that the time they had spent behind bars pre-trial would be counted towards the sentence.
Katsiaryna was additionally sentenced to eight years in prison earlier this year on high treason charges that she has denied.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends support to Darya Chultsova and Katsiaryna Andreyeva and other brave journalists reporting from Belarus. Since the disputed 2020 presidential election, the country has seen severe infringements on the rights of journalists. Several women journalists have left the country as the authorities have intensified restrictions on the independent press and free speech. Those who remain continue to face relentless state-linked persecution and censorship. While we welcome Darya’s release, we are cognizant that she should not have been imprisoned to begin with. We call on the Belarusian government and judiciary to drop baseless legal proceedings against women journalists, including Katsiaryna, and release all journalists jailed over their work. Incarcerating journalists for simply doing their jobs and reporting on matters of public interest is beyond reprehensible.
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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