The undersigned partner organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) demand the immediate release of Andrey Gniot, a Belarusian journalist and pro-democracy activist who is being held in custody by Serbian authorities on politically motivated charges formulated by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. Since October, Serbian courts have been deliberating upon a request to deport Gniot to Belarus.
According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), an independent trade union in exile, Gniot was to Serbia on October 30. He was detained based on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol upon request by authorities in Belarus on alleged tax evasion charges. After a first appeal, the High Court of Belgrade is currently deliberating on whether the conditions for Gniot鈥檚 extradition to Belarus have been met.听
The journalist first in 2021 after receiving 鈥渟ignals鈥� that authorities were aware of his activism, which he had not made public out of fear of reprisal, according to reports by independent Belarusian media. After first moving to Thailand, the journalist flew for work to Serbia, a country which for exiled Belarusians and Russians, as it is one of the few in Europe which they can enter without a visa. He was unaware that an international arrest warrant had been issued against him.
Activism and journalistic activity in Belarus
Gniot is mainly known for his activities as a director of music and TV commercials, as well as a journalist and political activist. He is one of the founders of, an independent union of Belarusian sportspeople, which reportedly contributed to the. The decision was made months before the event and was motivated in part by ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by authorities in the wake of the 2020-21 mass protest movement against Lukashenko. SOS BY was later as an 鈥渆xtremist formation鈥� by the Belarusian KGB, which made it possible to sentence its members to lengthy prison terms. 听In addition, Gniot’s decision to leave Belarus was due in part to his contributions for Prague-based broadcaster RFE/RL, as he was concerned about the risk of arbitrary detention in retaliation for his journalistic work.
While Gniot is formally accused of tax evasion, he claims that he was never notified of these charges throughout the years during which he would have violated Belarusian tax laws. Tax evasion, as well as other charges, were also earlier used to incriminate Maryna Zolatava and Lyudmila Chekina, respectively the editor-in-chief and director general of Tut.by. The website used to be Belarus鈥� most popular independent online outlet before its forced closure by authorities in 2021.
In addition, Gniot鈥檚 lawyers reported that authorities in Minsk accused him based on a law adopted in 2019, while the charges are related to Gniot鈥檚 activities between 2012 and 2018.
Risk of political persecution in Belarus
Belarus remains Europe鈥檚 biggest jailer of journalists, with currently behind bars according to BAJ. The country of nine million also has the in the world.
Independent media are in practice fully banned at the national level, and independent journalists have been forced to go into exile, as staying in Belarus exposed them to inevitable repression due to current and past activities.
Since 2020, authorities have of media outlets, website pages, social media accounts and other online content as various forms of 鈥渆xtremism鈥�: as a result, journalists and readers alike face fines and prison terms for any interactions, current or past, with independent outlets designated as such. Security forces are known for of Belarusian journalists and independent media consumers for past activities, with the first group receiving prison or other sentences restricting their liberty, while the second are typically videos 鈥渃onfessing鈥� their 鈥渆xtremism鈥� before serving short-term prison terms (typically up to 15 days).
Given the likelihood of politically motivated repression in Belarus, we urge the High Court of Belgrade, which is currently handling Gniot鈥檚 case, to pronounce a decision in favour of his immediate release, as well as for competent authorities in Serbia to not appeal such a decision.听
Serbian authorities should take into account the unimaginable scale of repression of independent media in Belarus, and the fact that Belarusian authorities have weaponized tax evasion charges to take revenge on a journalist for his past successful activism against human rights abuses. Gniot鈥檚 deportation to Belarus would expose him to arbitrary detention and imprisonment, as well as inhumane treatment and torture while in custody.
Andrey must be set free and allowed to continue his professional activities in the country of his choice.
Signed:
International Press Institute (IPI)
Article 19 Europe
Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
This statement is part of the 听(MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States, Candidate Countries, and Ukraine. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
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