Belarus
After election protests, Belarus targets press
Security agents arrest at least 20 journalists and raid several newsrooms as they silence news coverage of post-election protests. Aleksandr Lukashenko gains a new term in the election, but monitors say the vote-counting was opaque and news media were suppressed. CPJ demands the release of all detained journalists. Right, a police officer chases a protester.Reuters
• Full coverage of BelarusBelarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko speaks in Minsk on December 20, the same day riot police forcibly dispersed thousands of demonstrators protesting the results of a flawed presidential vote. (AP/Sergei Grits)New York, January 3, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the European Union today to condition its diplomatic relations with Belarus on the release of all recently arrested journalists and the halt of official Minsk's crackdown on the independent press.
New York, December 29, 2010--Belarusian authorities continued their massive crackdown on critical news media on Tuesday as security agents raided offices shared by the independent weekly Nasha Niva and the Belarusian PEN Center.Demonstrators hold signs for jailed journalist Irina Khalip and her son. (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin)New York, December 27, 2010--Belarusian authorities must immediately halt their assault on independent and pro-opposition news media, a crackdown that has led to unjust detentions, raids, and seizures, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Belarusian journalists Irina Khalip, left, and Natalya Radina. They are currently held by the KGB in Minsk. (AP/Sergei Grits)New York, December 23, 2010--The Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged by the ongoing detention and potential prosecution of Belarusian journalists Natalya Radina, editor of the pro-opposition news website Charter 97, and Irina Khalip, local correspondent for the Moscow-based independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta. Both are considered suspects in organizing and participating in mass disorder--a charge that carries up to 15 years in prison if convicted, according to the website of the State Department of Internal Affairs (GUVD) in Minsk. It is not clear whether the two have been officially charged yet.Supporters light candles today outside prison walls in Minsk for those detained in Belarus' Sunday opposition protests. (AP/Dmitry Brushko)New York, December 21, 2010--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the prison sentences handed down to journalists who reported on post-election protests in Belarus, and the anti-media rhetoric by President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Riot police officers move to block thousands of opposition supporters in Belarus trying to storm the main government building to protest alleged vote-rigging in Sunday's election. (AP/Sergey Ponomarev)New York, December 20, 2010--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the violent government crackdown against journalists covering demonstrations in Minsk against Sunday's flawed presidential vote won by President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Security police have arrested at least 20 journalists and beaten at least 20 more between the outbreak of rallies Sunday evening and their forcible dispersal in the early morning, according to local news reports.
As I mentioned last Friday, local journalists in Belarus were preparing for targeted disruption to Internet communications during Sunday's presidential elections. The online news site Charter '97, which has experienced more than its fair share of denial-of-service (DOS) attacks and police raids in the past, was already warning its readers last week to use their Facebook page as an alternative, in the event of its main site being attacked.
The extent of the widespread press crackdown in Minsk is still being measured, but I've been reading reports from within Belarus that spell out the drastic Internet side of the restrictions. Not only was Charter '97 attacked over the weekend, but apparently sites like Facebook and Twitter were also blocked by Belarus ISPs. Even more significantly, there has been widespread filtering of the channels that encrypted communications like "https" and secure email use. These filters aren't specific to one site, but block traffic based on how it connects to remote sites. That means that not only news or social networking sites, but banking, financial and most website login pages would be disrupted. It also means that journalists on the ground have been unable to access services like Gmail, or even send email directly from mail clients.
Hal Roberts at Berkman has more details. As the Charter '97 English Twitter feed notes, when your electricity is cut off and editors are being detained, such subtle technical censorship is somewhat of a side-note for journalists working within the country. But during key events, when reporters and eye-witnesses are working with foreign news media, such blocking can seriously hamper the ability to gather information and describe what is happening to the world at large.
Greek blogger Giolias (AP)This week, CPJ published its year-end analysis of work-related fatalities among journalists. Six of the 42 victims worked online. While you can read the full statistics and our special report elsewhere, I want to highlight the stories of these six journalists who worked on the Web.
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Belarus - Committee to Protect Journalists
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