Belarusian Authorities Raid Home of Grandmother Of Former Belsat Journalist

Belarus law enforcement officers have raided the home of the 85-year-old grandmother of Syarhey Skulavets, a former journalist for the opposition media outlet Belsat, in another sign of the government's continued crackdown against independent media.

Skulavets, who fled Belarus in the summer of 2023 due to growing fears of being arrested for his journalism, said in a post on Facebook on December 1 that officers, who identified themselves as investigators and KGB agents, searched his grandmother's home and asked questions about his activities.

Belsat is a Belarusian-language television channel that operates from Poland, broadcasting critical news and analysis about the government of the authoritarian ruler of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Since its launch in 2007, Belsat has become one of the most prominent independent media outlets for Belarusian audiences.

The channel's outspoken coverage of political events, including the disputed 2020 presidential election and the violent crackdown on protests that followed, has made it a target for the authoritarian government.

Journalists working for Belsat have faced harassment, intimidation, and arrests both within Belarus and abroad.

Skulavets's account of the raid underscores the regime's strategy of targeting family members of dissidents.

Although the search's precise motivations remain unclear, the authorities appeared to be focused on finding information about Skulavets and his work.

The officers reportedly examined mobile phones, posed questions, and took notes, with Skulavets's father informing him that the officers showed no interest in his personal belongings, only in his association with the journalist.

Skulavets also shared that his family had recently received phone calls from individuals claiming to be from the Department of Financial Security.

The callers expressed concern about not being able to reach Skulavets, hinting the government may be using additional methods to intimidate and pressure him and his loved ones.

This incident also underscores the broader context of Belarusian media censorship since a disputed 2020 election sparked massive protests amid claims the vote was rigged to hand Lukashenka a sixth consecutive term in power.

Belsat, along with other independent outlets, has been a particular focus of these efforts, with its journalists being branded as enemies of the state.

The international community, including human rights groups, has repeatedly condemned the actions, calling for an end to the harassment of journalists and their families.