BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

13/04/2006

Report looks at Lukashenko government's censorship regime

A new report from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) examines a "climate of repression" for the news media in Belarus. The report paints a broad picture of attacks on press freedom over the past decade and during the recent presidential elections.

The report is titled "Belarusian Journalism and the 2006 Presidential Campaign." Before, during and after the March 19 election, President Alexander Lukashenko increased its pressure on independent media as well as the level of propaganda in the state media. During this time, authorities arrested more than 30 Belarusian journalists and eight foreign colleagues on charges such as hooliganism and participating in illegal rallies.

The report concludes by urging Belarusian authorities to stop controlling the media. It recommends that local and international journalists' groups keep tracking the situation in Belarus and raise public awareness of the situation there.

The report is available online, in PDF format: http://www.ifj.org/pdfs/BelarusReport2006.pdf.

IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3829&Language=EN.

Belarusian Association of Journalists: http://www.baj.ru/indexe.htm.

IJNet News Archive: http://www.ijnet.org/Director.aspx?P=Article&ID=304778&LID=1.

Source:

http://www.ijnet.org/Director.aspx?P=Article&ID=304845