Border Guards deny entry to Belarusian journalist Elena Kovalchuk who had planned to attend the Lviv Media Forum.

The editor of the "Green Portal", Yanina Melnikova was detained for 72 hours and yet not released. Security forces raided the journalist's house and took Yanina for interrogation. She is still under custody. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) demands authorities to release her immediately. Journalism is not a crime.

Chief editor of BelaPAN news agency, Iryna Leushyna, was detained on August 18, along with accountant Katsyarana Boyeva and former director Dzmitry Navazlylau. Police searched the homes of staff members and also raided the agency’s offices in Minsk. The detainees were subsequently sent to prison. Reportedly, the news websites BelaPAN.by and BelaPAN.com have also been suspended since the raid.

The Supreme Court ruled to dissolve the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) on August 27 after closing a complaint filed by the Ministry of Justice. In the verdict, the court stated the arguments provided by the BAJ representative were not satisfactory. The decision maintained that the defence misunderstood the law. The CFWIJ stands in solidarity with the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The BAJ is an independent organization operating since 1995 and has gathered over 1300 members from the media sphere. The organization has earned an international reputation for its commitment to uphold press freedom.