Barys Haretski
Barys Haretski is a prominent Belarusian journalist, human rights defender, and the Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), an organization dedicated to protecting and promoting freedom of speech, freedom of information, and the rights of journalists and the media in Belarus. In 2023, BAJ and its website, social media accounts, and logo were added to the Republican List of Extremist Content by the Belarusian authorities. Barys Haretski was forced to leave Belarus in 2021 after being targeted by the Belarusian authorities, due to his human rights advocacy work in support of press freedom.
After the wave of violence that followed the presidential election of December 2010, the human rights situation in Belarus deteriorated rapidly and remains poor after the crackdown. HRDs are subjected to intimidation and harassment, including judicial harassment, restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, movement, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment.
