Solidarity Marathon: Italian journalist supports political prisoner Valeryia Kastsiuhova
Italian journalist Massimiliano Coccia, representing the newspaper linkiesta.it, has provided sponsorship for Valeryia Kastsiuhova, the founder and editor of the expert community website Nashe Mnenie, as well as the editor and author of the Belorussky Ezhegodnik and head of the expert monitoring group Belarus in Focus.
He was one of the individuals who responded to the Belarusian Association of Journalists’ call to action, highlighting the plight of journalists and intellectuals imprisoned in Belarus for political reasons. Currently, 33 media professionals are incarcerated.
Valeryia Kastsiuhova was taken into custody on June 30, 2021, following a search of her residence. She was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for inciting actions that could harm the national security of the Republic of Belarus, conspiracy to seize power by unconstitutional means, and inciting hatred or discord.
Valeryia Kastsiuhova is serving her sentence in a correctional facility for women in Homel.
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BAJ calls on journalists around the world to support the solidarity action! You can print portraits of imprisoned Belarusian media workers, take pictures with them in outstanding places in your city (outside Belarus), and post them on social media using the hashtags #СвабодуЖурналістам and #BecauseTheJournalist. Don’t forget to send them to office@baj.media or intercomm@baj.media.
Since the beginning of the Solidarity Marathon campaign, 37 actions have occurred in 27 cities across 23 countries and almost all continents. The persecution of Belarusian journalists is now known not only in Europe, Canada, and the United States, but also in Latin America, Australia, and in countries in Africa and Asia.
The Solidarity Marathon was honored to have the following organizations join us: the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Reporters Without Borders, the Danish Helsinki Committee, Index on Censorship, the Australian Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the Swedish PEN, and journalist unions from Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, and the Belarusian diaspora in various countries.