From satellite dishes dismantling to ‘extremism’: 13 years of Lukashenka regime's attempts to bring down Belsat
Belsat TV channel started broadcasting on December 10, 2007. Even before the broadcast, in April 2007, Alyaksandr Lukashenka voiced his attitude to Belsat, calling it a ‘stupid and hostile’ project. Therefore, from the very beginning, the authorities saw the journalists of the TV channel as enemies. Belsat.eu recollects the history of the TV channel persecution.
First searches and fight against satellite dishes
As early as in the first months of Belsat’s broadcasting, special services started coming to journalists who cooperated with the TV station. The largest attack then was a series of searches organised by the KGB on March 27-28, 2008.
In parallel, local authorities have launched a campaign to dismantle satellite dishes on the grounds that they allegedly spoil the appearance of buildings and were installed without permission. In the future, the struggle with dishes periodically revived and subsided, depending on the socio-political situation in the country.
Despite that, Belsat tried to work in accordance with the Belarusian legislation: in 2008 the TV channel for the first time submitted a package of documents to the Foreign Ministry for registration of its representative office. This and all subsequent attempts were unsuccessful. Each time the authorities refused not only to register a representative office, but also to give accreditation to individual journalists.
From warnings to giant fines
In the first years of the channel’s existence, the most popular tool of pressure on journalists was warnings from the prosecutor’s office for cooperating with foreign media without accreditation. The authorities turned to tougher forms of pressure in 2010-2011, after the presidential election and the dispersal of the protest on December 19, when large-scale repression began in the country. Belsat members were beaten and detained, summoned for interrogation and ‘talks;, and apartments were searched. Many journalists who collaborated with the TV channel went through administrative arrests.
In the following years, the level of repression decreased, but the pressure did not stop. In 2014, Belsat residents were fined for work without accreditation for the first time. At the same time, the Supreme Court banned the use of the name BELSAT by Polish television when broadcasting on the territory of Belarus. The reason for this decision was a complaint of businessman Andrey Belyakou against the channel, allegedly for copyright infringement, as his company was called BelsatPlus.
That story was forgotten until the spring of 2017, when a new wave of repression swept through Belarus in connection with the protests against the decree on social parasitism. The case over the Belsat trademark became a formal reason for searches in two Minsk offices of the TV channel on March 31, 2017. People in civilian took out all the equipment and loaded it into a car without license plates.
In 2017, about three dozen cases of detentions of Belsat members during their professional duties, including live broadcasts, were recorded.
Cameraman Ales Barazenka, who was detained while covering the Freedom Day protests, was sentenced to 15 days in jail for alleged ‘petty hooliganism’. At that time, the case was exceptional: the persecution of Belsat members was often limited to short-term detentions and fines.
It was in 2017 that the authorities began to use Art. 22.9 of the Administrative Code (‘illegal production and distribution of media products’). According to this article, journalists were systematically detained while performing their professional duties and fined. In 2017, the total number of fines exceeded 50 thousand rubles, in 2018 – exceeded 100 thousand rubles.
In April 2019, Belsat’s office was attacked again: as part of a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 188 (‘defamation’) it was searched and all equipment was confiscated. The formal reason for this was an mistake in the text of one of the TV channel’s stories, which concerned Andrey Shved (Prosecutor General in the future). Although at the time of the search Belsat had already refuted that erroneous information and apologised.
That criminal case did not develop, and in the second half of 2019 the general level of pressure even decreased, the authorities began to use Art. 22.9 of the Administrative Code less often. However, it turned out to be a lull before the storm: next year the repressions reached a completely new level, unprecedented for the Belarusian media space.
Violence and string of arrests
Persecution of Belsat journalists in 2020–2021 can be divided into several stages. The first is the bloody events of August 9-12, when journalists had to risk their lives during the brutal crackdown on protests. At least three of our correspondents were injured as a result of the use of special means by security officers: Iryna Arakhouskaya – from a rubber bullet, Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Tatsyana Kapitonava – from the explosion of light and noise grenades.
Journalists who fell into the hands of security forces in those days went through very harsh treatment and beatings. Alena Dubovik was first beaten immediately after the detention, and then after refusal to sign the fabricated report. The blonde female warden beat Alena in the stomach with her knee. As a result, the journalist was hospitalized on suspicion of ovarian rupture.
Despite the ill-treatment, in most cases Belsat journalists detained on August 9-12 were released without trial or sometimes even without a report.
The second stage of post-election persecution of Belsat members began in late August. The level of physical violence clearly decreased, but the risk of being imprisoned as a result of performing their professional duties increased. The fabrication of administrative protocols accusing journalists of participating in mass events or disobeying the police became a mass phenomenon.
Cases of administrative arrests of Belsat journalists have been recorded in previous years, but this was rather an exception to the rule. In the autumn of 2020, the situation changed: at best, they were left behind bars until trial, at worst – were given 15 days in jail or even more.
If at first the security forces mainly hunted down those reporters who covered the protests, then over time they started arresting for the fact of journalistic work. For example, in February 2021, Belsat journalists Lyubou Lunyova and Dzmitry Soltan received 10 and 15 days of arrest, respectively, simply for trying to conduct a poll on the streets of Minsk.
Later any cooperation with the channel became ‘outlawed’. At the end of May, a sound engineer and four cameramen were arrested for 15 days, as well as the administrator of the studio where the program Each of Us is filmed. However, administrative arrests did not become the highest point of Belsat journalists’ persecution.
Two years for live stream
“Previously, my work was also related to pressure and detentions, but now my colleagues and I go to every report like to a war: we always have a set of clean clothes, a first aid kit with medicines, water and a handkerchief in case of tear gas, an SOS-messages function on the phone,” Belsat journalist Katsyaryna Andreyeva told in late September 2020.
One and a half months later, on November 15, Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova were detained during a violent dispersal of the rally in memory of Raman Bandarenka and the destruction of the people’s memorial by security forces.
They streamed from the apartment on the 14th floor of the building on Smorhauski tract, where they were invited by the owners. After the rally, OMON broke the door to the apartment with weapons and detained the girls. The security officers treated the journalists very rudely.
“When I was detained by special forces, they shouted: ‘You will go to prison for 7 years, you will be sewing police uniform.’ The deputy chief of the police department insulted me, pushing me in the back from the stairs. The cops shouted: “You will no longer stream! Never!”, Katsyaryna told later.
First, administrative reports under Art. 23.34 and 23.4 of the Administrative Code were drawn up against Katsya and Dasha – they were accused of allegedly participating in an unauthorised protest and not obeying the police. They were given 7 days of administrative arrest each.
But at the same time a criminal case under Part 1 of Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (‘organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order’) was opened; the journalists were taken into custody. On February 18, 2021, the judge of Frunzenski district court of Minsk Natallya Buhuk sentenced Katsyaryna and Darya to two years of imprisonment in a penal colony. This is the harshest sentence for journalists in the entire existence of Lukashenka’s dictatorship.
The investigation did not hide the fact that Katsyaryna and Darya are being persecuted for journalistic streams. The indictment stated that the crime was committed with the help of a video camera, a microphone and a vest with the inscription PRESS. The court ruled that Katsyaryna and Darya allegedly led the protests with their report. Our colleagues have not admitted their guilt and consider the persecution to be the revenge of the special services for their professional activities.
In prison, Darya and Katsyaryna were put on prophylactic registration as persons ‘prone to extremism and other destructive actions’. This status implies increased control by the administration. In the colony, they are now required to wear yellow tags – this colour indicates persons allegedly ‘prone to extremism’.
Mass searches and ‘extremism’
Intimidation of Belarusians, also with the help of criminal cases, does not stop. On July 16, security forces searched the homes of at least 16 journalists cooperating with Belsat. Among them are Belsat presenter Hleb Labadzenka, journalists Khrystsina Charnyauskaya and Yauhen Merkis, Lyubou Lunyova and Milana Kharytonava.
The searches took place within the framework of a criminal case under Art. 293 (‘mass riots’) and 342 (‘organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order’) of the Criminal Code. Most journalists are in the case as witnesses. But two – Ihar Ilyash and Hanna Halyota – were detained and spent 10 and 7 days in Akrestsin Street detention centre, respectively. They remain suspects under Part 1 of Art. 342 CC.
Along with the personal persecution of journalists, the authorities are trying to put pressure on Belsat’s audience. The Belarusian state restricted access to our Belsat.eu page back in August, and then blocked access to the site’s mirrors. On July 27, Chyhunachny district court of Homel ruled to recognise extremist Belsat’s website, its social networks, as well as the Belsat logo and even the word Belsat. The reason was the materials of the inspection of the GUBAZIK department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Homiel region. Belsat was included in the Republican List of Extremist Materials.
“In fact, extremists should be called those who take thousands of their citizens captive, throw them in jail, force them to leave their homeland,” Belsat Deputy Director Alyaksei Dzikavitski said, commenting on the decision.
“In a situation of total legal default in Belarus, when the laws do not work, it is difficult to call this decision legitimate. Moreover, there is no point in appealing against it.Belsat will continue to work, we will continue to carry independent and uncensored information in Belarusian to our dear viewers and readers. And no court will forbid us to do that,” he added.
The decision of the Homiel court provides formal grounds for prosecuting those who repost Belsat materials. Under the law, dissemination or production or publication of extremist information is punishable by up to 15 days in administrative detention, a fine of up to 30 basic units, or community service. The subject of the offense, such as a computer or a telephone, may also be confiscated.
This week the first case of punishment for distributing Belsat materials was recorded: in Mahilou, judge Viktoryia Palyakova sentenced local guide Aleh Dzyachkou to 15 days in jail for two old links on the social network VKontakte.
At the same time, there is no responsibility for watching the broadcast, visiting the site, subscribing to our accounts and groups. Therefore, the editorial office asks to stay with Belsat via social networks, mobile application or website or satellite.
