The Belarusian authorities have taken another independent news site offline. The news platform Nasha Niva is accused of having published” illegal content”. Police reportedly raided the newsroom and made several arrests.
Nasha Niva writes on social media that it cannot get in touch with several employees, including editor-in-chief Yegor Martynovich. His wife’s on Facebook saying he’s been arrested. The Belarusian Association of Journalists says that the editor-in-chief of Orsha, another news site, has also been arrested.
The independent news platform TUT was shut down this spring for the same reason as Nasha Niva. For months, the Belarusian authorities have been acting harshly against dissidents and critics of the Minsk regime.
Among others, Nasha Niva reported last year on the mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, who, according to the demonstrators, is guilty of electoral fraud. International pressure on Lukashenko continues to increase as he acts harder against his opponents.
For example, at the end of May, a passenger plane with a critical Belarusian journalist had to land on board in Minsk. The man, who was on his way to Lithuania from Greece, has since been stuck in his home country. Following his arrest, Brussels imposed economic sanctions on the country in June.
