Belarusian journalist Ihar Ilyash sentenced to four years amid political bias claims

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last month |  JP Global Monitoring

MINSK— The trial of Belarusian journalist Ihar Ilyash concluded on September 16 at the Minsk City Court, ending a process that began on February 21 this year, baj.media reported. After a six-month break for a psycholinguistic examination of 15 of his analytical articles, the court sentenced Ilyash to four years in a high-security penal colony and fined him 100 base units (4,200 rubles).

Judge Siarhei Katser found Ilyash guilty of “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” (Article 369-1) and “assisting extremist activity” (Part 2, Article 361-4). Ilyash rejected all charges and pleaded not guilty, while his lawyer requested acquittal. Critics, including journalist Siarhei Vahanau, highlighted bias in the psycholinguistic review conducted by a Belarusian State University expert.

Ilyash, detained in October 2024, had worked as a freelance journalist after leaving Belsat TV in 2021. He had given interviews to independent and foreign media, including Ukrainian outlets investigating Belarusian military involvement in Ukraine. Human rights groups recognized him as a political prisoner on November 22, 2024.

His wife, journalist Kateryna Andreyeva, is serving an 8-year prison sentence for espionage-related charges, while her colleague Darya Chultsova was released and now lives in Poland. Both women had been detained for broadcasting live coverage of protests in Minsk.

Photo credit: International Women’s Media Foundation/YouTube