The Unesco Prize for the freedom of the press was awarded to the Association of Journalists of Belarus (AJB) for saving several local independent media from the violent repression put in place by President Alexander Lukashenko since his re-election in 2020, which is believed to be rigged by Westerners. An action that led to the imprisonment of over 1,000 people.
Founded in 1995, in reaction to Lukashenko’s rise to power a year earlier, and with 1,300 members, the AJB struggled to preserve press freedom in Belarus, but was forced to end its operations during the wave of repression that took place last summer.
“It is completely unexpected,” said Andreï Bastunets, president of the AJB, at the announcement of the winner of the Unesco prize, awarded for the first time in 25 years to a collective. “This award is for all Belarusian independent journalists who have continued to work for the past two years despite all the pressures, publication bans and arrests,” added Bastunets, who fled Belarus last year and has been since then. in a secret place.
According to information from the AJB, more than 24 journalists are currently behind bars in this country. “Virtually all independent media in Belarus have been banned because they are accused of being ‘extremists’, blocked and only visible through a VPN. Many have left Belarus, but others continue to work, writing for newspapers that are now based outside the country, ”explained Andreï Bastunets.