Belarusian journalist sentenced to three years for alleged extremist activities

In Belarus, another sentence has been passed against an independent journalist. 56-year-old Ihar Karniej was convicted by a court in Minsk to three years in prison for alleged participation "in an extremist formation" – Radio Liberty reported on Friday.

Judge Siarhiej Kacar presided over the trial and sentenced Ihar Karniej to a three-year stay in a penal colony. Additionally, the journalist was fined 20,000 Belarusian rubles, equivalent to approximately £7,300.

As Radio Liberty writes, propaganda media reported that Karniej's cooperation with the independent caused the criminal case, and the authorities banned the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ).

Although disbanded by Alexander Lukashenko's regime, this organization still monitors the media situation in Belarus.

Ihar Karniej was detained in July 2023. For over 20 years, he had been a journalist at Radio Liberty. His arrest and subsequent sentence are yet another example of the repression against independent journalists in Belarus.