Katsiaryna Barysevich

Katsiaryna Anatolewna Barysevich (Belarusian: Кацярына Анатольеўна Барысевіч; born 2 August 1984) is a Belarusian journalist. She is a staff correspondent for the independent news site Tut.By.^[2] She has worked for European Radio for Belarus and other media. She reported on the death of Raman Bandarenka in 2020.^[3] She was arrested on November 19, 2020, in Minsk.^[4]

Katsyaryna Barysevich
Кацярына Анатольеўна Барысевіч
Borisevich in 2021
Born	(1984-08-02) August 2, 1984 (age 39)
Citizenship	Belarus
Alma mater	Belarusian State University^[1]
Occupation	journalist

Detention

On November 24, 2020, the human rights organization Amnesty International named her a prisoner of conscience in the Bandarenka case.^[4] On the same day, ten organizations (the Viasna Human Rights Centre, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and others) made a joint statement and classified her as a political prisoner.^[5][6][7] Boris Haretski, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, said that the authorities were not fighting the problem, but the media, “They think that if the press does not write about Bandarenka, people will not find out about it. Of course, they will know everything, but the media is still under attack."^[8]

On December 10, 2020, she was named Journalist of the Year (2020).^[9][10][11]

On December 16, 2020, patronage over the political prisoner was undertaken by Cem Özdemir, an MP of the Bundestag.^[12]

On March 2, 2021, Barysevich was sentenced to a half-year in prison and a fine in 100 basic units for reporting personal data on the death of Raman Bandarenka during the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.^[13]

Among others, Barysevich's imprisonment and sentencing were condemned by the European Federation of Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the International Press Institute.^[14][15][16]

Together with Darya Chultsova and Katsyaryna Andreeva, on April 9, 2021, she was awarded the Prize "Honour of Journalism" named after BelaPAN's founder Aleś Lipaj.^[17]

On July 14, 2021, she got the CPJ International Press Freedom Award.^[18] On August 12, 2021, she got the Free Media Award.^[19]

References

1. . TUT.BY (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
2. "Katsiaryna Barysevich". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved March 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. "Журналисту TUT.BY Катерине Борисевич, которая писала статью о Романе Бондаренко, предъявлено обвинение" (in Russian). Brestskaya Gazeta. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
4. Гуштын, Адар'я (2020-11-27). "Журналиста TUT.BY Катерину Борисевич перевели в СИЗО на Володарского. Письма ей почти не доходят" (in Russian). TUT.BY. from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
5. (in Russian). BelaPAN. 2020-11-24. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
6. (in Russian). TUT.BY. 2020-11-24. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
7. "Правозащитники признали журналисток Катерину Борисевич, Катерину Андрееву и Дарью Чульцову политзаключенными" (in Russian). MediaZona. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
8. Александровская, Богдана (2020-11-25). "Ходьба по минному полю. Как в Беларуси сейчас работают журналисты" (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
9. "Названы лауреаты Национальной правозащитной премии" (in Russian). Viasna Human Rights Centre. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
10. "Есть такая профессия! "Журналистами года" правозащитники пр". Belarusian Partisan (in Russian). 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
11. (in Russian). TUT.BY. 2020-12-10. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
12. "100 Paten für politische Gefangene in Belarus: Cem Özdemir wird Pate der Journalistin Katsiaryna Barysevich" (in German). Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights. 2020-12-16. from the original on 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2021-02-02. Es ist von unschätzbarem Wert, dass mutige Journalist*innen wie Katsiaryna Barysevich die Wahrheit ans Licht bringen. ... Katsiaryna Barysevich ist eine von vielen beeindruckenden Frauen, die den Wandel in Belarus vorangetrieben haben.
13. "Belarus journalist sentenced for report on protester's death". AP News. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
14. "EFJ demands the immediate release of Belarusian reporter Katsiaryna Barysevich". European Federation of Journalists. November 20, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
15. "CPJ condemns sentencing of Belarus journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich to 6 months in jail". Committee to Protect Journalists. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
16. "IPI denounces conviction of Belarus journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich". International Press Institute. March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
17. "Катерина Борисевич, Катерина Андреева и Дарья Чульцова удостоены премии "Гонар журналістыкі"" (in Russian). Brestskaya Gazeta. 2021-04-09. from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
18. "Журналістка Кацярына Барысевіч узнагароджаная прэміяй "За свабоду прэсы 2021"" (in Belarusian). European Radio for Belarus. 2021-07-14. Archived from the original on 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
19. Кепински, Ольга (2021-08-12). "Все награды Free Media Awards присуждены белорусским журналистам" (in Russian). euronews. Archived from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-08-12.