Andrey Kuznechyk (Андрэй Кузьнечык), born 1978, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Belarus Service (RFE/RL – https://www.rferl.org/Belarus), is since 2021 in prison on charges widely condemned as politically motivated. Kuznechyk was initially arrested on 25 November 2021, and sentenced to 10 days on disputed hooliganism charges. Instead of being released, authorities accused him of creating an extremist group, a charge concealed from his family and colleagues for months.
On 8 June 2022, following a one-day trial behind closed doors at the Mahilyou (Магілёў), Belarus, regional court, Kuznechyk was sentenced to six years in one of Belarus’s most restrictive prisons, known for housing political prisoners and notorious conditions. Rights organizations, including RFE/RL and human rights groups in Belarus, have denounced the charges as baseless, identifying Kuznechyk as a political prisoner.
Kuznechyk’s case reflects a broader crackdown on dissent following Belarus’s disputed 2020 presidential election. The regime of President of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka (Алякса́ндр Лукашэ́нка), facing accusations of election fraud, has arrested tens of thousands of citizens and forced many opposition figures into exile. Kuznechyk is one of three RFE/RL journalists currently imprisoned, alongside Ihar Losik (Ігар Лосік), serving 15 years on dubious charges, and Vladyslav Yesypenko (Владислав Єсипенкo), sentenced to six years in the by Russia occupied Crimea on contested claims of explosives possession.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the unjust imprisonment of journalist Andrey Kuznechyk and the broader targeting of independent media in Belarus under the Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime. The baseless charges against Kuznechyk and other journalists reflect an alarming crackdown on press freedom and dissent, which violates fundamental human rights. SEEMO urges Belarusian authorities to release all journalists and political prisoners immediately and ensure a free and independent media environment. SEEMO will closely monitor the situation in Belarus and continue to advocate for the rights of journalists and freedom of expression 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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