The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) called on the Belarusian authorities on Monday to release Russian journalist Anastasia Olshanskaya, who was detained in Minsk during the weekend protests
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2020) The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) called on the Belarusian authorities on Monday to release Russian journalist Anastasia Olshanskaya, who was detained in Minsk during the weekend protests.
"We call on Belarusian authorities to release immediately Russian journalist Anastasia Olshanskaya arrested in Minsk on 26 September," the EFJ said in a tweet, which was also reposted by the International Federation of Journalists.
The EFJ also said in a press release on Monday that it joined the Belarusian Association of Journalists in demanding the immediate release of Olshanskaya and 14 other journalists who are still in detention.
"On Saturday and Sunday in Belarus, 15 journalists were arrested for covering protests against the presidential inauguration, electoral fraud and violence. Most of these journalists have been released, but 15 journalists are still in prison. ... Most were released, but four of them, including Russian journalist Anastasia Alshanskaya, 26 years old, remain in prison," the EFJ statement read.
The Minsk City Police Department's press service has confirmed that "two [journalists with] Belsat and MBKhMedia, including a citizen of the Russian Federation Olshanskaya, are in the police department."
Several dozens of people were arrested on Saturday during a so-called women's march, the signature feature of post-electoral protests in Belarus, near the Kamarouski Rynak marketplace. Protesters initially planned to rally in the city center near the Victory Square but relocated to Kamarouski Rynak after the square was shut down an hour before the protest was scheduled to begin.
People who were dismayed by the official results of the August 9 presidential election that secured incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko's sixth consecutive term have been protesting in Belarus for over a month now.
Police cracked down on protesters during the first several days of the unrest, with more than 6,700 people detained during the initial phase of the protests. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, three people died and several hundred others sustained injuries during that period, including more than 150 security officers.
Last week, Lukashenko held a secret inauguration ceremony that then reignited the protests and led to a new crackdown.
