Scores of journalists have been assaulted or detained by security officers in Belarus while covering protests against the country’s contested election, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said Wednesday.
The Belarusian interior ministry said more than 6,000 protesters have been detained during the three nights of post-election unrest and around 250 sought medical assistance.
Here’s a breakdown of how many journalists have been targeted, as compiled by the Rory Peck Trust, an NGO that supports freelance journalists in crisis:
— 55 arrested journalists,
— 25 journalists in custody awaiting trial,
— 17 journalists violently assaulted,
— 10 damaged cameras and seized memory cards,
— Three journalists injured, including one wounded in the leg by a rubber bullet and one in the thigh by a projectile.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists said it has documented at least 62 instances of attacks on or detentions of colleagues since Sunday.
“This is a gross violation of the freedom of speech and transparency of the election process,” it said in a statement, calling on the authorities to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.
Several Russian journalists were among those attacked or detained during the post-election protests in Belarus. A number of them have since been released and sent back to Russia while some still remain unaccounted for.
Since the start of 2020, more than 170 journalists have been jailed or fined in Belarus, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said.
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