Journalist Iryna Slaunikava sentenced to 5 years in jail in Belarus

Iryna Slaunikava has been associated with TVP (Telewizja Polska) for 15 years. Earlier on, she had worked as a journalist in Belsat.

Belsat is a Polish broadcaster focused on Belarusian news that Minsk has branded as extremist.

Belsat TV informed on Wednesday that "Judge Mikalai Dolya, who had previously sentenced the journalist in the 'Tsikhanouski case,' sentenced Iryna to 5 years in jail. At the same time, the state prosecutor asked for a year less".

The trial of Iryna Slaunikava was held behind closed doors. "The journalist was found guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code: Article 342 ('Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them') and Article 361.1 ('Establishment or participation in an extremist formation')" - Belsat said in a tweet.

On August 2, Belarusian journalists held a rally near the headquarters of the European Commission in Warsaw, during which they sent a petition with a request to impose sanctions against those involved in the persecution of journalists in Belarus.

Furthermore, Belsat said that Slaunikava's trial had begun on June 23 and the court needed only five sessions to sentence the journalist.

"It's unclear what exactly the court found to be this formation (extremist - edit.), because the sessions were held behind closed doors, and the journalist's attorney and her family were ordered not to disseminate information regarding the trial," Belsat informed.

"It was about Belsat TV materials - even though they dated back to the times when Belarus had not seen this station and content it used to broadcast as extremist. In the past Slaunikava a Belsat journalist, but as her father and attorney underscore, she is no longer associated with the station for over 10 years now; currently she is a full-time TVP employee" - Belsat press office said.

"Iryna Slaunikawa was sentenced by a Homiel court to 5 years in prison. She was found guilty of 'creating an extremist formation'" - Belsat said in a tweet.

Belsat TV Director Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy said that "in Belarus it's possible to call basically anything an extremist formation". "It's been designed this way," she added.

"It's clear that Iryna has been sentenced for normal journalistic work and, most likely, her attitude," Romaszewska-Guzy stressed.

In her opinion, the course of the trial and the fact it was held behind closed doors demonstrate typical practices that are used in Belarus today. "You may not even know what someone is accused of, what they are tried for, what is the evidence. People used to be tried the same way in the Stalinist times," Belsat TV director said.

Romaszewska-Guzy also says that "both Polish authorities and the European Union as a whole could play an important role in ending the impunity of the people involved in this case".

"Yesterday, on behalf of Belsat journalists, we filed a petition to the European Commission to sanction people responsible for human rights violation in Belarus. Hundred of people should be punished," she stressed.

"'Human rights violation' is a rather elegant term. In reality, judges and prosecutors are tormenting and torturing people," she added.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described Slaunikava's jailing as an "absolute scandal, a violation of all civilization norms, human rights and journalistic standards." "This unacceptable verdict will meet with Poland's immediate, decisive reaction at an international level," he wrote on Facebook. Last month, a Belarusian court sentenced another Belsat journalist to eight years in jail for treason. The Belarusian Vesna-96 rights group estimates Belarus is holding about 1,300 political prisoners. Many of them were arrested during a wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko who has been in power since 1994.

"BAJ demands repealing of Iryna Slaunikava’s sentence: Journalists are not extremists, dissent is not a crime," Belarusian Association of Journalists said in a tweet on Wednesday.

In a statement published at its website, "the Belarusian Association of Journalists calls for the annulment of Iryna Slaunikava’s sentence and the immediate release of all 29 media workers who are currently behind bars in Belarus".

"BAJ expresses its support and respect to Iryna and all other colleagues behind bars," the association added.