On July 30, 2024, the UN Human Rights Committee registered complaints from freelance journalists Tatsiana Smotkina and Dzmitry Lupach about violations of their rights in Belarus, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports.
Human rights activist Pavel Levinau helps journalists defend their rights. The complaint was sent to the UN Human Rights Committee almost seven years ago.
Independent journalists from Hlybokaye are appealing the administrative prosecution for their professional activities. On December 27, 2017, the court of the Dokshitsky district of the Vitsiebsk region found Tatsiana Smotkina and Dzmitry Lupach guilty of violating media legislation under part 2 of Article 22.9 of the Administrative Code.
The judge Vyachaslau Eliseenka punished the journalists with a fine.
The reason for the persecution was journalistic materials published on Radio Racyja and the TV channel “Belsat”.
A year ago, Tatsiana Smotkina and Dzmitry Lupach already won a similar case against the Belarusian authorities.
