Five Belarusian reporters have been awarded the Hope of Freedom Prize from Lithuania for their tough work during the anti-government protests in the neighbouring country, the Lithuanian Union of Journalists said in a press release.
Ekaterina Borisevich and Elena Tolkachova, who work for the independent news website Tut.by, Tatiana Korenkova of BelaPAN, and Ekaterina Andreeva and Darya Chulcova from the Warsaw-based TV channel Belsat will receive 1,000-euro prizes established by the Lithuanian Union of Journalists and the Lithuanian Journalists’ Society.
“This prize is a symbol of solidarity, a sign of respect for our colleagues who are persecuted for professionally carrying out their work, undertaking the main duty of a journalist – upholding the public right to receive impartial, independent information,” the press release quoted Vaiva Žukienė who chaired the commission awarding the prize.
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“It is crucial to send the message that the journalist community is watching and taking into account the events in Belarus and is supportive of our colleagues, who are fighting for the public right to know,” she added.
The five Belarusian journalists all work for independent media and have been arrested while reporting from the country engulfed in mass protests against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
“Working as a true journalist in Belarus today is akin to heroism, just as is being an active citizen or human rights defender,” said Dainius Radzevičius, chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Journalists.
The winners were announced on December 10, the Human Rights Day.
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