The UN's cultural agency UNESCO on Wednesday said it was awarding its annual press freedom prize to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), for keeping independent media alive despite the crackdown by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
Lukashenko has unleashed a fierce crackdown against civil society and media in Belarus since a 2020 election that the West says was rigged and has led to the jailing of over 1,000 political prisoners.
The BAJ was founded in 1995, shortly after Lukashenko came to power in 1994, to pressure the authorities on press freedom. It has 1,300 members but was ordered to shut down by the judiciary in 2021 amid the latest crackdown.
"By awarding the prize to the BAJ, we are standing by all journalists around the world who criticise, oppose and expose authoritarian politicians and regimes by transmitting truthful information and promoting freedom of expression" said Alfred Lela, chair of the prize's international jury.
Andrei Batsunets, chairman of BAJ, welcomed the award, which is the first time in the 25-year history of the prize it has been given to a group rather than an individual.
"It's very unexpected. It is recognition for all independent Belarussian journalists who have worked in the last two years despite all the pressures, publishing bans and arrests," he told AFP in a telephone interview.
"It's a recognition for the whole community," added Batsunets, who left Belarus last year and now lives at an undisclosed location abroad.
According to a database maintained by the BAJ, there are currently 24 journalists behind bars in Belarus.
"Practically all independent media in Belarus were banned as being extremist, blocked in the country and only accessible with a VPN (virtual private network). Many journalists left Belarus but some still continue to work, writing for media now based outside the country," Batsunets said.
"But the fact that some have stayed shows how courageous they are," he emphasised.
"For any authoritarian leader their goal is control of information. There has been constant pressure from the moment he (Lukashenko) came to power."
The prize, which will be handed out at a ceremony on May 2 in Uruguay, is named after Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano who was murdered in Bogota in 1986.
"Once again, we are inspired by their example and reminded of the importance of ensuring the right of journalists everywhere to report freely and safely," said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO director-general.
According to reports by the BAJ and other activists, the crackdown against journalists in Belarus has continued in the last weeks.
Journalist for the Poland-based Belsat channel Katsiaryna Andreyeva was this month charged with treason and risks up to 15 years in prison when her trial begins in May, the BAJ said.
Meanwhile, the editor of weekly Novy Chas, Oksana Kolb, was arrested last week and has now been detained for violating public order, it said.
The French foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the arrest while saluting the efforts of Kolb and others to keep reliable information flowing in Belarus.
"This process is a new illustration of the policy of continuous repression carried out by the Belarusian authorities against independent media and any form of opposition to the illegitimate regime of Alexander Lukashenko," it said.
