Belarusian journalists Ales Sabaleuski (Алесь Сабалеўскі) and Yauhen Hlushkou (Яўген Глушкоў), both working in Mahilyow /Mahilou / Mogilev (Магілёў) in Belarus, were sentenced to prison on 31 July 2024, after being arrested in December 2023. The Regional Court in Mahiliou found them guilty of participating in what the authorities labeled as an “extremist formation” and, for unclear reasons, accused them of involvement with a mercenary group.
Sabaleuski received a four-year sentence in a penal colony, while Hlushkou was sentenced to three years in a general security penal colony. Additionally, both were fined 8,000 BYN (approximately 2450 USD).
The charges against the journalists are believed to be linked to their previous associations with the now-defunct independent news outlet 6tv.by, which the Belarusian government designated as an extremist organization in December 2023.
According to reports from the Belarusian Association of Journalists (Беларуская асацыяцыя журналістаў – BAJ – БАЖ – https://baj.media/be/), Sabaleuski, a former blogger and journalist, had retired from the media and was working in the service industry at the time of his arrest. Hlushkou, a freelance videographer, had not been active in media for several years before his detention.
Sabaleuski was initially sentenced to a short-term arrest of 10 days in December 2023, and while serving this sentence, he was subjected to a second arrest on charges of “disseminating extremist materials.” Despite the completion of this second sentence, he was not released and was instead transferred to a pre-trial detention center. Reports indicate that Sabaleuski was tortured during his interrogation to extract a confession regarding his involvement with 6tv.by.
Hlushkou was arrested in January 2024 and was similarly transferred to a pre-trial detention center. The details of his case emerged through a video of his forced confession, which was circulated by a pro-government Telegram channel. In the video, Hlushkou admitted to having worked with 6tv.by, although he had not engaged in any media activities in recent years.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the recent sentencing of Belarusian journalists Ales Sabaleuski and Yauhen Hlushkou, who were unjustly imprisoned on politically motivated charges. This blatant attack on press freedom exemplifies the Belarusian authorities’ relentless repression of independent journalism and civil society. SEEMO calls for the immediate release of Sabaleuski, Hlushkou, and all other journalists unjustly detained in Belarus, and urges the international community to take a firm stand against these ongoing human rights violations.
The 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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