Convened by Estonia, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the meeting was chaired by Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu. Speakers that presented opening remarks and information on the media situation in Belarus included Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya – a former candidate for Belarusian presidential elections and democratic opposition leader, Pavel Latushko – a member of the presidium of the opposition’s Coordination Council of Belarus, and Irene Khan – the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

In his address, the chief of Polish diplomacy stressed the deteriorating situation of journalists and the media in Belarus. “The gradually restricted media freedom caused concerns in previous years, but 2020 proved to be particularly tragic for Belarusian media and their staff,” he said. Minister Rau recalled that nearly 500 journalists were detained in Belarus last year, many of whom were subject to repression, including violence and torture. Last autumn accreditations were revoked for foreign correspondents, and the Belarusian authorities repeatedly blocked access to the Internet and independent news portals.

“Media freedom is a prerequisite for a peaceful and democratic society. It is also part of the international framework for the protection of human rights,” underlined the head of the Polish MFA. The minister added that Poland supports the recommendations set out in the report on developments in Belarus by the OSCE Moscow Mechanism rapporteur Wolfgang Benedek, and calls on the Belarusian authorities to release detained journalists and to stop persecuting them. “As an active member of the Human Rights Council, Poland reiterates its appeal to the Belarusian authorities to fulfil its international human rights obligations, and to ensure respect for media and information freedom,” said Minister Zbigniew Rau.

The chief of Polish diplomacy also called on the international community to offer necessary help to independent media and journalists in Belarus, and stressed that Poland provides support for Belsat TV and its journalists.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: Tymon Markowski/MFA