KYIV – Two Belarusian journalists working on Polish television channel Belsat were prosecuted on Tuesday in the capital Minsk on charges related to their coverage of mass protests in 2020, the Association of Journalists of Belarus said.
Belsat journalist and cameraman Yekaterina Andreeva and Darya Chultsova were arrested in November after a demonstration.
Months of protests took place in Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko won victory over opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in an election in August. The opposition said the result was manipulated.
Prosecutors accused Andreeva and Chultsova of coordinating the protests by issuing live reports. They have denied the charges for which they could be sentenced to three years in prison. They appeared in court inside a cage.
International human rights organizations have condemned the arrest of Andreeva and Chultsova.
The New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists urged Belarusian authorities to drop the “absurd” accusations against Andreyeva and Chultsova and release them unconditionally.
“The Belarussian government must stop punishing journalists for reporting on important political events and allowing them to work freely and without fear of reprisals,” it said in a statement on Monday.
Thousands of protesters were rounded up and almost all opposition political figures were expelled or imprisoned as the government cracked down.