The Minsk City Court sentenced this Friday to twelve years in prison two journalists from the largest independent Belarusian portal, Tut.by, dismantled by the Justice, for distributing information with calls to seize state power and for organizing actions to incite the hatred and social discord.
Judge Valyantsina Ziankevich read the sentence after two months of closed-door trial against former editor-in-chief Marina Zolatova and former director-general Liudmila Chekina, the Viasna human rights organization reported on its Telegram account.
The Zerkalo website, the successor to Tut.by and registered outside of Belarus, indicated that Zolotova was found guilty of distributing materials with public calls for the seizure of state power and forcibly changing the constitutional order.
They also condemned her for having made calls through the media to foreign countries and international organizations to act to the detriment of the national security of Belarus and for promoting actions aimed at inciting hatred and social discord.
Chekina was convicted on virtually the same charges and also for tax evasion, according to Zerkalo.
On May 18, 2021, the case was opened against Tut.by, very important in the dissemination of news about the repression of mass protests against the Belarusian president, Alexandr Lukashenko, after the presidential elections of August 2020, in which the head of state claimed a sixth term in elections described as fraudulent by the opposition and the West.
Security forces reached the homes of some employees of the media outlet and representatives of partner organizations, as well as the offices of Tut.by in Minsk and regional centers. That day 15 people were arrested.
Marina Zolotova and Lyudmila Chekina are the only defendants in the case who remain in prison and are recognized as political prisoners.
The Belarusian KGB included them in the list of “persons involved in terrorist activities”.
Source: Euronews Español