“The co-founder of Tut.by, Kirill Voloshin, announces that the portal’s domain has been blocked,” said the medium on Tuesday in the messenger service Telegram. The investigative authorities had previously searched the editorial offices of Tut.by. At least 13 employees were reportedly arrested.
Investigators searched the editorial rooms and apartments of journalists
According to editor-in-chief Marina Zolotova, the homes of several journalists were also searched. “Officials from the financial investigation department of the state control committee are in my apartment and in the apartments of several journalists,” she told the AFP news agency on Tuesday morning.
The agency confirmed the raids on Tut.by and Hoster.by, a company that provides storage space for websites. Tut.by is suspected of tax evasion, said the authority. As a result of protests against the authoritarian ruling Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, investigators recently targeted several media representatives
The media have always been in the sights of state power
Last week, two journalists who reported on a trial against opposition politician Pavel Sevjarynez were sentenced to prison terms. On Monday, a journalist from Tut.by was sentenced to 15 days in prison for “participating in an unauthorized mass event”.
The US State Department sharply condemned the actions of the authorities on Tuesday. “Today’s raids are another example of the systematic attempt to stifle independent voices and punish journalists for their careful reporting,” said ministry spokesman Ned Price on Twitter.
Since the presidential election in August 2020, which was accompanied by massive allegations of fraud, there have been repeated protests against Lukashenko in Belarus. However, the movement has recently lost its popularity – one reason for this is the brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators by the security forces. (AFP)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Alexander Lukashenko bears the dubious title of “Europe’s last dictator”. And the old Soviet warrior wants to remain a dictator, even if his people have long been calling for change. The despot reacts to the democracy movement with brute force.