(Moscow) – Belarus, shaken three weeks of mass protests against his authoritarian president, cracked on Saturday strongly support deporting some foreign journalists reporting in the country and revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists. Two Moscow-based Associated Press journalists covering the recent protests in Belarus were deported to Russia on Saturday. In addition, journalists Belarusian AP was told by the government that her press credentials had been revoked. “The Associated Press condemns in the strongest terms this blatant attack on press freedom in Belarus. AP asks to restore the Belarusian government credentials of independent journalists and allow them to continue to report on the facts of what happened in Belarus in the World” said Lauren Easton, PA director of media relations. The Belarusian Association of Journalists said accreditation was also attended by 17 Belarusians worked for several other media taken away. Germany ARD television said that two of its journalists were deported from Moscow in Russia, Belarus is a manufacturer in testing on Monday and their work accreditation was revoked in Belarus. The BBC said that two of its journalists working for the BBC Russian Service in Minsk had withdrawn their accreditation and US-funded Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, said five of its journalists director of the accreditation program lost for the ARD, the biggest regional partners, WDR, which monitors the coverage of Belarus, the treatment of his crew as “absolutely unacceptable.” “This proves once again that independent reporting is hindered in Belarus have continued and made almost impossible,” said Jörg Schoeneborn. The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: “This attack on press freedom is another dangerous step towards greater repression instead of dialogue with the population.” The International Press Institute, said: “The Belarusian authorities must immediately destroy any accusations against journalists in recent police raids, stop the cancellation of accreditation for foreign journalists and immediately stop interfering with the state publishers. It drop “arrested in Belarus protests began after the elections on 9 August that officials gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term with 80% support. The protesters say the results of the elections were rigged and calling Lukashenko, who has run the country since 1994, to resign. The protests, some of which attracted large crowds around 200,000 or more, the largest and most sustainable challenge of 26 years, Lukashenko in office, during which he systematically repressed the opposition and independent media. On Saturday, hundreds of women dressed, mostly in red and white – the opposition, the colors of the former uses Belarusian flag as an emblem – marched through the capital Minsk in protest. hardline leader threw to end up a strategy for the wave of protests, with little success. In the early days of the demonstrations, about 7,000 people were arrested. Some protesters were killed and many prisoners were beaten by police. The violence did not stop the protests and opposition galvanized. The strikes have broken out in several state-owned factories, the backbone of the economy of Belarus. given the US embassy in Belarus on Saturday a statement, “We are concerned by the continued targeting of journalists, the blocking of independent media and opposition websites, Internet blackout interrupted and random arrests of peaceful citizens who were exercising their right freedom of assembly and speech, “___ Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story. Picture copyright by Evgeniy Maloletka-AP
Belarus cracks on foreign journalists mass protests against his authoritarian president Next
