Free press is facing extreme challenges in the country. Several women journalists are facing persecution in the form of unjustified detention, arrest and raids at apartments. Tatiana Smotkina, Anastasia Zanko and Alesia Latsinskaya are a few of those affected journalists. It's become a pattern in the country to target critical voices. CFWIJ condemns this ongoing practice against freedom of the press as the state is becoming extremely regressive towards free media and press. We also urge Belarusian authorities to stop abusing their power and let the journalists do their job fearlessly.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by yet another serious breach of press freedom. On October 4, 16 journalists were detained in Belarus, seven of them being women. While four of the detained journalists who were impeded at work were released after verification of their documents at police stations; three of them still remain under custody and are awaiting trial.