Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova are accused of participating in an unsanctioned mass event and resisting the police.
Carbon copy trial
On Sunday, November 15, two journalists working with Belsat set up a stream from the Square of Changes, where the law enforcement officers brutally detained protesters. Already at the trial, Andreyeva said that she had been detained in her apartment. The door was broken and about 10 special forces came to the apartment. Without explaining anything, they just told the journalists to go with them. No violence was used during the detention.
In the police station, Katsyaryna felt very sick and collapsed. She was taken under escort to Hospital 9. They did not find anything serious, but prescribed bed rest a mandatory visit to a neurologist the next day. But in the morning of November 16 she was taken to the police station and from there she was taken to the remand prison.
Andreyeva was sentenced by Volha Nyaborskaya, and Chultsova was sentenced by Alena Zhyvitsa. The trials of the journalists were almost identical.
Pressure on journalists in Belarus
It is known for a fact that Katsyaryna Andreyeva is now a suspect under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization of mass riots).
The Belsat journalists are now at the remand prison. Close relatives and friends were unable to give them warm things – they were rejected. Our colleagues will be released on November 22.
As of November 18, 5 journalists of Belsat are behind bars over administrative cases.
In total, since the beginning of 2020, BAJ has recorded more than 500 cases of repressions against journalists, and since August 9 — 360 arrests of media workers.
According to estimates of the Viasna human rights center, about 20 thousand people were detained during the election campaign in Belarus.
