Andrei Miadzvedzeu

Affiliated media: Paleskaya Vyasna, Editor

Incident date: July 16, 2021

Attack type:

• Bullying, intimidation, pressure, threats of violence and death, including cyber-

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Rechytsa

Additional information:

KGB officers came to the flat in Kalinkavichy, where the journalist secretly lived, to search it as part of the criminal case under Article 289 (act of terrorism). They confiscated equipment and documents, demanded to give the password to the phone in front of witnesses. Then, they took the journalist for a second search — this time, in his flat in Rechytsa. After the searches, Miadzvedzeu was kept in the KGB department until the evening: the officers conducted two interrogations, threatened him with violence, got the password to his smartphone and studied the information in it. According to Andrei, afterwards, he was taken to the office of the head of the department, who threatened to send him to pre-trial detention centre and demanded to fulfil two conditions for his release: to repent publicly on video and to sign a document on cooperation. The journalist complied with the law enforcers’ demands, and after his release, in a safe place, told about the attempted recruitment.