In a troubling escalation of Belarus crackdown on dissent, journalist and political prisoner Ihar /Igar Karnei (Ігар Карней) has been sentenced to an additional eight months in prison for alleged “persistent disobedience” to the prison administration’s rules. This new sentence, handed down on 13 December 2024 by Judge of the District Court in Shklou (Шклов), Belarus, adds to Karnei’s existing three-year sentence for alleged “participation in an extremist formation.” The journalist will now remain behind bars until October 2026 instead of February 2026.
Karnei, 56, has been in prison since July 2023 following a raid on his home. First he was detained on 17 July 2023 and sentenced to 10 days of arrest and on 28 July same year a criminal case was brought against Karnei. Authorities accused him of collaborating with the Belarusian Association of Journalists (Беларуская асацыяцыя журналістаў – BAJ – https://baj.media/en/), leading media advocacy organization from Belarus that was labeled an “extremist formation” by the government in February 2023. His original conviction on 22 March 2024 was widely condemned as part of a broader campaign to stifle press freedom in Belarus. He was charged under Article 361-1 /3 of the Criminal Code for being a member of an extremist organization.
Since being transferred to Correctional Facility No. 17 in Shklou in June 2024, Karnei has faced harsh treatment, including extended solitary confinement and restrictions on communication. He has been allegedly isolated from other inmates since July and prohibited from receiving parcels or making phone calls. His family reported receiving only a fraction of his letters.
Details surrounding the new charges remain unclear. Authorities have not disclosed specific instances of disobedience, but reports suggest that minor infractions or fabricated accusations are often used to justify additional penalties against political detainees. Belarusian law allows prisoners to be charged under Article 411(1) of the criminal code if they receive multiple reprimands, a common practice in political cases.
Karnei’s long career in journalism began during his university years in the 1980s. He co-founded an independent youth newspaper and later contributed to prominent publications such as Komsomolskaya Pravda (Комсомольская правда – https://www.kp.ru/) and Zvyazda (Звязда – https://zviazda.by/be). He spent two decades with Radio Svaboda (https://www.svoboda.org/ – https://www.svoboda.org/), the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (https://www.rferl.org/). More recently, he focused on local history and blogging for the website Kreva.Travel (Крэва – -https://kreva.travel/). In 2020 he was arrested after reporting from a demonstration.
This latest sentence highlights the dire state of press freedom and human rights in Belarus, where journalists face persecution for their commitment to truth and accountability. Calls for Karnei’s immediate release, along with all jailed journalists in Belarus, continue to grow from international advocacy groups.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the sentencing of journalist Ihar Karnei to an additional eight months in prison on unclear charges. This unjust decision, compounded by Karnei’s ongoing mistreatment in detention, is a blatant attempt to silence independent journalism in Belarus and violates fundamental principles of human rights and press freedom. SEEMO calls for Karnei’s immediate release, along with all other journalists imprisoned for their work. SEEMO will continue to closely monitor his case and the broader repression of media professionals in Belarus.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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