Journalist Ihar Ilyash arrested in Belarus
The Viasna Human Rights Center reports on the arrest of journalist Ihar Ilyash in Belarus. His photo in handcuffs was published by pro-government Telegram channels.
The details and circumstances of Ihar Ilyash’s detention remain unknown to human rights defenders. A pro-government Telegram channel published a photo of Ilyash, suggesting that his detention was somehow connected to the Belsat TV channel. A subsequent message threatened to arrest the journalist’s friends, who allegedly informed independent media about his situation, Pozirk reported.
Ihar Ilyash is a journalist and the husband of journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva (Bakhvalava), who has been imprisoned since 2020. In November 2020, Ilyash was detained for 15 days for «participating in a picket.» In July 2021, he was also detained for 15 days during mass searches and arrests of independent journalists across Belarus. His apartment was searched, and his equipment and books were confiscated.
Katsiaryna Andreyeva worked as a journalist for the Belsat channel. She and operator Darya Chultsova were arrested in November 2020 during a live stream from the «Square of Changes.» The court sentenced the journalists to two years’ imprisonment. During her detention, a new criminal case was opened against Katsiaryna for treason, for which she was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in prison. Katsiaryna Andreyeva is serving her sentence in the Homel penal colony No. 4. She is on the list of «extremists».