Statement on the recognition of journalist Ihar Iliyash as a political prisoner

Statement by the human rights community of Belarus

November 22, 2024

It became known about the detention of journalist Ihar Iliyash. On October 22, a Telegram channel associated with the law enforcement agencies of Belarus published a video where Ihar Ilyash says that he was detained for interviews with media recognized in Belarus as "extremist formations". At the end of October 2024, information appeared that Ihar Iliyash was in custody in pre-trial detention center No. 1, which means that he was charged in a criminal case (the article is currently unknown).  

Ihar Iliyash is a Belarusian freelance journalist. Previously, he was repeatedly persecuted for his journalistic activities. In October 2020, Ihar Ilyash was serving an administrative arrest for participating in "picketing". On July 16, 2021, during mass searches of independent journalists, Ihar Iliyash was detained in a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and preparation of actions grossly violating public order or active participation in them) and placed in a temporary detention center, but released ten days later. After his release, Ihar Iliyash remained in Belarus. Ihar Iliyash's wife, journalist Katsiaryna Bakhvalava, is also being persecuted for her professional activities. Since November 2020, she has been in detention and was twice sentenced in criminal cases to a total of eight years and three months of imprisonment. She is now held in penal colony No. 4 in Homeĺ.

We, the undersigned organizations, believe that the detention and criminal prosecution of Ihar Iliyash are continuations of the authorities' targeted policy of limiting the dissemination of uncensored information in the country and of the attack on freedom of speech. After the 2020 presidential election, dozens of NGO and media websites have been blocked in Belarus, several printed media have been closed, and journalists and employees of the Belarusian media sector have been imprisoned.

Given the circumstances, we believe that the criminal prosecution of Ihar Ilyash is politically motivated and aimed at stopping or changing the nature of his legitimate public activities related to the non-violent exercise of freedom of expression and dissemination of information.

Based on this and guided by para. 2.1 and 3.1 of the Guidelines on the Definition of Political Prisoners adopted at III Belarusian Human Rights Forum, we, human rights defenders, recognize Ihar Ilyash as a political prisoner and call on the Belarusian authorities to:

• Immediately release Ihar Iliyash and drop criminal charges against him;

• refrain from using criminal prosecution as an instrument of pressure on freedom of expression, or other rights and freedoms;

• immediately release all political prisoners and stop political repression in the country.

Belarusian Association of Journalists;

Human Rights Center "Viasna";

PEN Belarus;

Belarusian Helsinki Committee;

Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House;

Legal initiative;

Lawtrend.