The Belarusian state TV channel ONT has aired the first segment of a propaganda film about RFE/RL journalists held in Belarusian prisons, accusing them of "trying to set Belarus on fire."
The series, Svaboda Slova (Freedom of Speech), appears aimed at discrediting independent journalists who have been reporting on government abuses and repression in the country just weeks before voting begins in a presidential election.
Opposition leaders called the last election -- held in August 2020 -- rigged, triggering mass protests and a brutal crackdown by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
They see the upcoming January 26 vote as a sham to hand Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994 and is a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a 7th term in office.
The first segment of the broadcast shows Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist with RFE/RL’s Belarus Service who was detained in November 2021.
Kuznechyk appears emaciated and tired as he talks with one of the filmmakers in what appear to be prison surroundings. Snow can be seen falling, with bars and prison walls in the background of the undisclosed location.
Kuznechyk, a father of two, was initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges that he rejected.
After serving that penalty, he was charged with creating an extremist group and sentenced in June 2022 to six years in a medium-security penal colony.
Dressed in a jacket and hat, Kuznechyk spoke in calm and measured tones but looked fatigued. The segment concluded with footage of him being escorted away under guard.
RFE/RL's Belarus Service does not quote statements obtained under unknown circumstances from individuals in detention.
At the end of the video, the state-controlled channel previewed the next segment in the propaganda series, saying it features RFE/RL Belarus Service journalist Ihar Losik, former veteran reporter Ihar Karney, and opposition activist Yuras Zyankovich, who holds dual Belarusian-American citizenship.
Kuznechyk, who has maintained his innocence, and some 150 other Belarusian political prisoners, including Losik and former would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, are serving sentences at the same prison in the northern city of Navapolatsk. The facility is known as one of the most-restrictive penitentiaries in the country.
Human rights groups in Belarus have recognized Kuznechyk as a political prisoner and his case is seen as part of the larger campaign of repression against RFE/RL journalists and independent media in Belarus.
Losik, who is a father of one, was detained in June 2020 at his home in Baranavichy.
He was first charged with organizing and participating in mass riots only to have more charges added later. He was sentenced to 15 years in December 2021 in a closed trial held at a detention center.
Belarusian authorities subsequently stepped up their efforts to suppress independent media by targeting RFE/RL's Belarus Service, known locally as Radio Svaboda.
The same month that Losik was sentenced a court of Minsk ruled that Radio Svaboda's Telegram channel, social media pages, and YouTube content extremist, and the Interior Ministry officially recognized a group of citizens who worked with the online resources of Radio Svaboda as an extremist group.
Authorities blocked access to Radio Svaboda's website and more than 40 other independent media outlets amid mass protests in August 2020 over the disputed presidential election. These websites are available only via VPN services in Belarus.
Since the disputed election, which handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in office, tens of thousands of Belarusians have been arrested for voicing any dissent against the regime.
The crackdown has pushed most opposition politicians, who say the vote was rigged, to leave the country fearing for their safety and freedom.
Many Western governments have refused to recognize the results of the election and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.
Many countries have imposed of sanctions against the regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country.