Voters in Belarus are due to go the polls to elect a president on 19 March.
The media advocates held a joint news conference in Moscow to highlight their concerns.
Alex Lupis, of the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said no election can be valid when voters are deprived of independent news about the candidates and their positions.
Oleg Panfilov, head of the Moscow-based Center For Journalism in Extreme Situations, said it was "impossible for Belarusian society to evaluate" the candidates.
Svetlana Kalinkina, managing editor of "Narodnaya volya," a leading Belarusian opposition newspaper, said the government is using overt threats as well as financial pressure to drive independent media out of business.
(AFP)
Video Roundtable On Belarus/Ukraine
On December 8, 2005, RFE/RL and the Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS) jointly conducted a roundtable discussion on issues relating to Belarus's post-Soviet transition. To view video of the roundtable, click here.
See also:
Belarus: Authorities 'Cleanse' Media Ahead Of 2006 Vote
