Andrei Aliaksandrau and Irina Zlobina

(asked on 12th July 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Belarusian Authorities on the case of Andrei Aliaksandrau and Irina Zlobina following the filing of the charge of treason by the Belarusian prosecuting authorities.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 15th July 2021

The Government remains deeply concerned by the continuing attacks on media freedom in Belarus. There have been more than 500 reported incidents of persecution of media figures in Belarus since the start of last year's election campaign. The crackdown on regional media outlets in Belarus over the last week highlights the lengths that the regime will go to in order to silence critical voices. The Government has repeatedly called on Belarus to release journalists who have been arbitrarily detained, such as Mr Aliaksandrau and Ms Zlobina, and to hold to account those responsible for attacks on journalists. The Government has increased financial support to independent media organisations in Belarus and has regularly condemned the actions of the Belarusian authorities in international fora. The UK has imposed sanctions in response to the fraudulent election and subsequent human rights violations. As co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK continues to raise our voice against the actions taken by the Belarusian authorities against journalists in Belarus, most recently through a Coalition statement on 28 May.

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