Journalist Ihar Ilyash detained for «interviewing sources recognized as extremist organizations in Belarus»
Ihar Ilyash shared this information in a video while handcuffed. The video was published by a Telegram channel close to one of the security services.
The news of the arrest of journalist Ihar Ilyash, the husband of the imprisoned journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva, became known on the morning of October 22. His photo in handcuffs was shared by pro-government Telegram channels.
A message from one of the Telegram channels linked to the security forces suggested that Ihar Ilyash’s arrest was somehow connected to the Belsat television channel. A subsequent message threatened to arrest the journalist’s friends who allegedly informed independent media about his situation.
On the evening of October 22, the same Telegram channel linked to the security forces published a video with Ihar Ilyash. In the description of the video, the authors of the TG resource write: «Following the path of his wife. This Polish journalist-spy was involved in cooperating with extremist formations and collecting information for foreign intelligence services. The accomplice has been imprisoned for extremism and treason for a long time, while her husband remained free because his activities were meticulously documented. We are correcting this outrageous injustice.»
In the footage of the raid on Ilyash’s apartment, at least four members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ special forces unit «Berkut» in full riot gear can be seen detaining the journalist. And, of course, there are the operators and scriptwriters behind such videos.
In the video, Ilyash says that he was an employee of the Belsat TV channel until July 2021, and later he became a freelance journalist. «During these years, I repeatedly gave interviews to various media, including sources recognized as ‘extremist formations’ in Belarus. That is why I was arrested,» Ihar Ilyash said.
He added that foreign media, including Ukrainian ones, had approached him for interviews and comments. For example, he was contacted by «a Ukrainian journalist who was investigating the possible involvement of Belarusian troops in the invasion of Ukraine.»
Ihar Ilyash is a journalist and the husband of journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva (Bakhvalava), who has been imprisoned since 2020. In November 2020, Ilyash was arrested 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.
The case of Katsiaryna Andreyeva
Katsiaryna Andreyeva worked as a journalist for the Belsat television channel. She and operator Darya Chultsova were arrested in November 2020 during a live stream from the «Square of Changes» (a courtyard on Charviakova Street in Minsk), where people gathered to honor the memory of murdered activist Raman Bandarenka.
In February 2021, the Frunzenski District Court of Minsk found Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova guilty of «organizing actions that grossly violate public order» (Article 342 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced them to two years in a penal colony. While in detention, a new criminal case was opened against Katsiaryna for treason. On July 13, 2022, the Homel Regional Court handed down an eight-year prison sentence to the journalist. Given her previous conviction, the final sentence was set at eight years and three months.
After the trial, in the fall of 2022, the Supreme Court changed the wording of the charges – replacing «revealing state secrets to a foreign organization or state» in Katsiaryna Andreyeva’s sentence with «espionage».
Katsiaryna Andreyeva is currently serving her sentence in the Homel penal colony No. 4. She is on the list of «extremists».