Pavel Padabed

Affiliated media: Belsat, Freelance cameraman

Incident date: June 30, 2023

Attack type:

• Court trial

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

The cameraman Pavel Padabed was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. Judge of the Minsk City Court Yauhen Pisarevich found the journalist guilty under Part 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (entry of a person into an extremist formation for the purpose of committing an extremist offence). Padabed was accused of cooperation with the TV channel Belsat, declared extremist formation by the authorities. Videos were presented as evidence, including those dedicated to the disappeared cameraman Dzmitry Zavadsky and murdered journalist Pavel Sheremet. Padabed’s name was not in the credits, but based on «indirect signs» suspicion of his direct participation in the filming was voiced. Moreover, during the trial it turned out that Padabed’s phone was tapped, law enforcers had access to his correspondence in messengers. Padabed was detained on January 20, 2023.