Yuras Dzyashuk

Affiliated media: Freelance journalist

Incident date: February 5, 2021

Attack type:

• Court trial

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Lida

Additional information:

On February 3, freelance journalist Yuras Dzyashuk was detained by the police and taken to the Lida District Police Department. He was drawn up an administrative report under Article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus (participation in an unauthorised mass event) and kept him in a temporary detention centre for two days until the trial. On February 5, the Lida District Court sent the report for revision, and Dzyashuk was released in the courtroom until the next hearing. The law enforcers harassed the journalist in connection with the events of January 18 in Lida during the court hearing, at which activist Vitold Ashurok was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. People in the hall were outraged by the verdict and started shouting «Shame!» and «Veram! Mozham! Peramozham!». Dzyashuk filmed what was happening on his phone.