The Lithuanian Media Council, a body representing the country's media organisations, has addressed international organisations over the treatment of reporters in Belarus.
The statement, addressed to the leadership of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Council of Europe, and UNESCO, expresses concern about the crackdown on media in Belarus where the government has been engaging in a brutal crackdown on the opposition since the rigged presidential election of August 2020.
Last Sunday, the Belarusian government forced a Vilnius-bound plane to land in Minsk and arrested the opposition activist and blogger Roman Protasevich (Raman Pratasevich) and his partner Sofia Sapega.
“The attack clearly demonstrates the importance of the role of the opposition, or in terms of the media, the importance of another opinion that real democracies must not only respect but also protect as a prerequisite for media pluralism,” the statement reads.
The Lithuanian media body is also asking the EBU to expel Belteleradio, the Belarusian public broadcaster, for its “involvement in the violations of human and civil rights” and support for the Belarusian government's actions.
LRT English is publishing the statement in full:
We, the Media Council to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, which consists of media professionals and representatives of journalists’ associations and training institutions, see it as vitally important to share with you our deepest concern over the unceasing crackdown on independent media and journalists in Belarus, which reached its peak with the detention of an opposition activist and blogger Raman Pratasevich by the Belarusian authorities during the unprecedented forced landing of a civilian plane heading to Lithuania.
The attack clearly demonstrates the importance of the role of the opposition, or in terms of the media, the importance of another opinion that real democracies must not only respect but also protect as a prerequisite for media pluralism.
We strongly support and welcome the steps already taken by the international media and media freedom defending organisations in demanding the authorities of Belarus to immediately stop attacks on local and foreign journalists and release the detained journalists.
We are calling on organisations to contribute to the international efforts to support threatened individuals and prevent the regime’s ability to perpetrate terror against the people and media in Belarus and outside its territory by all possible practical means. For our part, we and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania are ready to help Belarusian journalists facing persecution of the regime.
We are also calling on suspending the membership of Belteleradio company, which has a proven track record of involvement in the violations of human and civil rights in Belarus and providing information support for repressions against journalists and other people, including the recent coverage of the detention of Raman Pratasevich, from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and prevent misusing the membership of the EBU for the political ends of the regime.
The proposed actions have to be applied until there are proven evidences demonstrating that the Belarusian authorities comply with their international human rights obligations to refrain from interfering with freedom of the press, to foster an open and safe working environment for journalists.
Sincerely,
Members of the Media Council
Ernest Alesin, the Association of Lithuanian Minority Languages Media
Rimantas Bagdzevičius, the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission
Džina Donauskaitė, the Lithuanian Journalism Centre
Šarūnas Frolenko, the Lithuanian Radio and Television Association
Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, the Lithuanian National Radio and Television
Kristina Juraitė, Vytautas Magnus university, Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy, Department of Public Communications
Neringa Jurčiukonytė, National Institute for Social Integration, Media4Change program
Audrius Kepežinskas, the Lithuanian Regional Radio Stations’ Association
Arnas Marcinkus, the Association of Internet Media
Jolanta Mažylė, the Commission of Ethics in the Provision of Information to the Public
Rasytė Navickienė, the National Association of Regional and City Newspapers’ Publishers
Audronė Nugaraitė, the Lithuanian Journalists’ Union
Donatas Puslys, Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis, Media program
Gražina Ramanauskaitė, the Inspector of Journalist Ethics
Česlovas Rulevičius, the Association of Regional Television
Gintaras Songaila, Media Support Foundation
Ineta Stravinskaitė-Janavičienė, the Association “National press”
Andrius Šuminas, Vilnius university, Faculty of Communication, Department of Digital Cultures and Communication
Donatas Valančiauskas, the Society of Lithuanian Journalists
Vaiva Žukienė, the Lithuanian Cable Television Association
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