KYIV – Two Belarusian journalists working for the Polish television channel Belsat went on trial in the capital Minsk on Tuesday on charges related to the coverage of mass protests in 2020, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said.
Yekaterina Andreeva and Darya Chultsova, a reporter and camerawoman from Belsat, were arrested in November after a demonstration.
Months of protests followed in Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory over opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in an election in August. The opposition said the result was rigged.
Prosecutors accused Andreeva and Chultsova of coordinating the protests by broadcasting live reports. They denied the charges, for which they could be sentenced to three years in prison. They appeared in court in a cage.
International human rights organizations have condemned the arrest of Andreeva and Chultsova.
The New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists has asked Belarusian authorities to drop the “absurd” charges against Andreyeva and Chultsova and release them unconditionally.
“The Belarusian government must stop punishing journalists for reporting important political events and allowing them to work freely and without fear of reprisals,” the agency said in a statement on Monday.
Thousands of protesters were arrested and almost all the political figures of the opposition were taken into exile or arrested while the government repressed.