Belarusian Association of Journalism

The Belarusian Association of Journalists has supported journalists and media for 30 years, defending their rights, running solidarity campaigns, and providing legal assistance in Belarus. Belarusian journalists and independent media are threatened and prosecuted by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.

Founded in 1995, a year after Lukashenko came to power, the Belarusian Association of Journalists is one of the country’s most important NGOs. It is an independent association of media professionals committed to freedom of expression and independent journalism in Belarus. This is no easy fight: since the 2020 presidential elections, all independent media organisations and journalists have faced extreme repression. The Belarusian Association of Journalists has documented over 500 arrests and dozens of criminal cases and prison sentences against reporters, editors, and media managers. Many were forced to stop publishing or flee the country. The Belarusian authorities also launched a repressive campaign against the association itself, which now operates from Lithuania.

The association’s strong commitment to press freedom, freedom of expression, and independent, fact-based journalism reflects the core values of Difference Day and those upheld by VUB and ULB.

Since 1998, the association has continuously monitored violations of freedom of expression and media rights. It has a network of correspondents across Belarus who collect and submit information about the media situation in their regions. During the 2004–2020 election campaigns, it monitored Belarusian media coverage of elections. Journalists in Minsk and the regions conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of publications and programmes in both state and non-state media, tracking how much time was devoted to different topics and how they were treated. Analytical reports based on the monitoring data were presented every two weeks.

According to a 2016 survey of Belarusian citizens commissioned by the Centre for European Studies, the association was recognised as the most well-known domestic NGO, with 5.7% of respondents familiar with its activities. From 2000 to 2021, it published the professional journal Abazhur (Lampshade), distributed to non-government media, 118 state newspaper editorial offices, and six regional TV and radio associations. The magazine covered topics such as the role and function of media in society, professional duties and responsibilities, journalistic ethics, and the challenges of gathering and disseminating information.

On 16 February 2021, security forces searched the homes of the association’s leaders and its office. On 14 July 2021, they broke into the office again, sealing it after a new search. On 27 August 2021, the Supreme Court approved the Ministry of Justice’s request to liquidate the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The decision was condemned by the International and European Federations of Journalists and the European Union. The association is currently appealing the ruling. On 28 February 2023, the Belarusian KGB designated the association as an extremist organisation. This decision was strongly condemned by the OSCE, Reporters Without Borders, the European Federation of Journalists, and many other international bodies. Currently, 39 media workers are imprisoned.

In addition to receiving the Difference Day Honorary Title in 2022, the Belarusian Association of Journalists has been awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom by the World Association of Newspapers (2003), the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament (2004), the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize (2022), and the Günter Wallraff Prize for Press Freedom and Human Rights (2025).