Belarusian state broadcaster ONT on January 17 aired the fourth part of a propaganda film called Svaboda Slova (Freedom of Speech), which accuses RFE/RL's journalists of trying to "set Belarus on fire."
The fourth installment focused on Yuras Zyankovich, a dual U.S.-Belarusian citizen and lawyer who is serving 11 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
Unlike RFE/RL journalists Andrey Kuznechyk and Ihar Losik and former RFE/RL reporter Ihar Karney, who appeared in previous episodes dressed in prison uniforms, Zyankovich was shown in the 20-minute film in a suit and pressed shirt. The background showed traffic moving outside a window as he sat in a comfortable room with coffee on the table.
The broadcast didn't explain his current legal or detention status despite the apparent staging of the interview.
Zyankovich was introduced in the film as an "American lawyer, political scientist, and expert" and interviewed by propagandist Andrey Alyaksandrau (aka Kozel), known to accompany security forces during arrests of political opponents of the country's authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
RFE/RL has a long-standing policy of not quoting statements made by imprisoned people under duress.
The four-part series aired just ahead of the January 26 presidential election, which Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, is expected to win.
SEE ALSO: Upcoming Belarus Election Cannot Be Credible In Current 'Repressive Environment,' Says BlinkenZyankovich was arrested in April 2021 as part of the so-called "conspirators case," a term that has been widely criticized because of a lack of evidence to back it up. He was the only one among five defendants in the case who cooperated with investigators, a decision made under extreme duress. His guilty plea and subsequent apology to his alleged co-conspirators came amid threats against him.
He was found guilty of conspiring to violently seize power unconstitutionally, creating and leading an extremist organization, and fomenting social hatred.
In December 2022, Zyankovich was handed another six-month sentence for insulting a government official over remarks in a Telegram channel that were labeled "extremist."
Losik was detained on June 25, 2020, and sentenced to 15 years in a high-security prison. He was accused of organizing mass unrest, preparing to participate in riots, and inciting social hatred. More unspecified charges were added later. After new charges were brought against him, Losik went on a 41-day hunger strike and even harmed himself in protest.
SEE ALSO: Wife Of Jailed Journalist Losik Released In Amnesty, Rights Group SaysHis wife, Darya Losik, was arrested in October 2022 for "aiding extremist activities." She was released in July 2024. Ihar Losik has remained in Navapolatsk Penal Colony No. 1, where he has endured harsh conditions, with months spent in solitary confinement and in a punitive isolation cell.
Kuznechyk was detained on November 25, 2021, and sentenced to six years in a high-security colony for allegedly setting up an extremist group. His trial was held behind closed doors. In September 2022, the Interior Ministry included him in a list of people involved in extremist activities. He has denied all charges.
Kuznechyk has been recognized as a political prisoner by human rights organizations.
Belarusian journalist Andrey Kuznechyk (file photo)
Karney was arrested in July 2023 and sentenced in March 2024 to three years in prison and ordered to pay a fine for participation in an "extremist group." While in prison, his term was extended by 10 months for "violating the internal order of the penitentiary." Human rights groups have also recognized him as a political prisoner.
SEE ALSO: Belarusian State TV Airs Third Propaganda Film Targeting RFE/RL JournalistsSince the 2020 presidential election, Belarus has ramped up its repression of independent media. In August 2020, the authorities blocked access to RFE/RL's website and those of more than 40 other outlets. In July 2021, security forces raided RFE/RL's Minsk office, seizing equipment and designating its Telegram channel and social media accounts as "extremist."
Later that year the Interior Ministry declared RFE/RL an extremist organization, effectively criminalizing all its activities and forcing its journalists either into exile or underground.
The arrests of Kuznechyk, Losik, Karney, and Zyankovich came after the mass protests of 2020 when tens of thousands took to the streets to challenge the result of a presidential election widely regarded as rigged. The response of the security forces was a violent crackdown; more than 30,000 people were arrested, many of whom reported torture and other ill-treatment while in custody.
ALSO READ: Hope And Horror: How Belarus Has Changed Since The 2020 Election Ignited A CrisisThe clampdown has forced most opposition politicians to flee the country for safety.
Most Western governments don't accept the results of the 2020 election or recognize Lukashenka as Belarus's president.
The number of arrests of independent media representatives in Belarus has reached 42, and the country is placed 167 among 180 by the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
The persecution of RFE/RL journalists and other media employees and rights activists has been loudly condemned.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that Belarus has violated human rights law and obligations in detaining people such as Losik.
The U.S. government and human rights organizations continue to call for the release of all Belarus political prisoners, stressing the vital role that freedom of the press plays in a democratic state.