Andrei Bastunets: Situation of free speech deteriorates in Belarus

The Belarusian authorities started the year with tightening screws and increasing pressure on the independent media.

Andrei Bastunets, the chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), said it in an interview with charter97.org.

– Reporters Without Borders recently published the Press Freedom Index report, where Belarus was ranked 157th. How would you comment on the free speech situation in our country?

– Belarus was ranked 157th last year, too, and two years ago... The “stability” shows that we don't have freedom of speech in the country. I'd like to note that, in my opinion, the situation has only deteriorated in the first five months of the year.

– What facts can prove it?

– Firstly, it is the adoption of amendments to the law on the mass media in late 2014. They took force on January 1, 2015, and significantly worsened the situation of freedom of expression in Belarus. It mostly concerns the Internet, but traditional media were also hit. Secondly, it is the growing crackdown on freelance journalists who work for foreign media without accreditation. Last year, there were 10 cases of imposing sanctions on journalists, but already 17 such cases have been recorded this year. These are two most obvious indicators of the lack of freedom of speech. I'd like to add that the register of press distributors and the register of broadcasting media distributors will be introduced on July 1. Those not included in the registers will be deprived of an opportunity to distribute information and will be brought to account. I think distributors of unregistered media and distributors without business registration will face many problems.

– How can the upcoming political events influence the situation of free speech in the country, in your view? We remember that the appearance of “improvements” for the media was created ahead of the previous presidential elections, but we remember even better what happened after the elections…

– I think the authorities learnt a lesson from the previous elections. I suppose they will choose another tactic now. Instead of giving the media an opportunity to take a “breath” and then carrying out brutal repression, they began with tightening screws and applying massive pressure right now, before the start of the election campaign. I don't know how the situation will develop, but we are most likely to face even more brutal approaches and harder pressure ahead of the “elections”.