A prominent journalist in Belarus, Ihar Karnei, has been designated a political prisoner by the country’s leading human rights group. Karnei was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of participating in an extremist group. The charges are widely seen as part of an ongoing crackdown on dissent in Belarus. Karnei, who used to write for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other news outlets, is a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), which has been branded extremist by President Alexander Lukashenko’s government.
During his trial, Belarusian authorities accused Karnei of cooperating with BAJ to publish materials insulting the head of state and representatives of the government. The head of BAJ, Andrei Bastunets, condemned the sentence as a crackdown on freedom of speech and called for solidarity from journalists around the world. Karnei is one of 34 Belarusian journalists who are currently in prison serving their sentences or awaiting trial. RFE/RL, the broadcaster for which Karnei worked, has also been labeled extremist in Belarus.
The Viasna human rights center, Belarus’ oldest and most prominent rights group, classified Karnei as a political prisoner and criticized his conviction as part of a deliberate policy by the authorities to limit the dissemination of uncensored information and attack freedom of expression. The Committee to Protect Journalists also denounced the verdict against Karnei and demanded his immediate release, along with other jailed Belarusian journalists. The international community has condemned Belarus for its crackdown on journalists and activists following the disputed 2020 election that saw Lukashenko retain power.
Since the August 2020 election, Belarus has faced large-scale repression, with over 35,000 people arrested and many beaten by police in response to protests against the fraudulent election. Dozens of NGOs and independent media outlets have been shut down, and journalists like Karnei have been targeted for their reporting. Despite the crackdown, Karnei has remained in Belarus and has been in custody since his arrest in July. The country is reported to have more than 1,400 political prisoners, including prominent figures like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. The ongoing human rights abuses in Belarus have drawn international condemnation and calls for justice for those unjustly imprisoned.
