The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Belarusian authorities to immediately release journalist Aksana Kolb, who was detained on April 20 and placed in preliminary custody for 10 days without explanation.
The whereabouts of Kolb, the editor of the Minsk-based independent weekly Novy Chas (New Time), are not clear, but her colleagues told the CPJ that she may be in the notorious Akrestsina detention center, which is known for the cruelty of its guards.
“Aksana Kolb’s detention shows that the situation for journalists in Belarus remains extremely worrying, and that authorities are determined to target the country’s few remaining independent outlets,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna in New York.
“Authorities must immediately release Kolb without charge, along with all other journalists currently in detention, and let the media work freely.”
The weekly switched to being solely online last August as it became too dangerous to print and distribute the paper. However its website was blocked after police raided the Novy Chas editorial office and Kolb’s home in Minsk in October and questioned her in an undisclosed case. Kolb signed a nondisclosure agreement and was unable to talk about the case.
Novy Chas then resumed publishing online on a new Internet domain and in recent weeks had covered Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry was not available to comment on the case.
Media Watchdog Calls For Immediate Release Of Journalist After Arrest In Belarus
Belarusian journalist Aksana Kolb (file photo)