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Natalia Belikova of Press Club Belarus hasn’t returned home since 2019 — not even for her father’s funeral. Since Lukashenko’s 2020 crackdown, over 1,000 journalists fled into exile, facing funding gaps, cyberattacks, and fading ties to audiences back home. She discusses censorship workarounds, ongoing arrests, and what keeps Belarusian exile media going.
At Belarus’s New Belarus conference, Media IQ’s Pavliuk Bykouski presented Press Club Belarus data (2025–26) on exiled independent media: 133 accounts across 13 newsrooms, views growing from 280M to 448M, and 31.9% of Belarusians reporting contact with independent media. The article examines what the data shows — and where it falls short.
In this podcast episode from taz Panter Stiftung’s “Freie Rede” series, jurist and writer Maxim Znak, journalist and photographer Sergei Balai, and journalist Alena discuss a law forcing exiled Belarusians to return home to renew passports—risking arrest if they do, or losing valid ID if they don’t—and its impact on those who fled after the 2020 protests.
When an autocracy persecutes, scilences, intimidates its critics outside the country, it is referred to as transnational repression. The topic has gained prominance in recent years, as dissidents from russia and belarus have increasingly sought refuge in the EU. But regimes suppress not only activities inside their own borders, but also try to pressure ones in exile.
Websites of at least six exiled Belarusian news outlets and one journalists’ association, including Zerkalo and Reform.news, have been targeted since March by DDoS attacks, which aim to overwhelm websites with floods of internet traffic. The targeted media sites were all effectively banned from operating in Belarus after authorities labeled them “extremist” groups.
This research examines the impact of Trumps reelection and the later U.S. aid cuts on Independent Media. The authors also look at how it devastated exiled media from Belarus, Myanmar, Nicaragua & El Salvador – among the hardest hit. Lost relocation support, diplomatic protection & up to 40% of revenue. Other donors haven’t filled the gap.
As Belarus prepares for another presidential election under President Lukashenko, opposition leaders and activists – including those in exile – are divided over whether engaging in dialogue with the regime can advance change. While some see negotiation as tactical, others warn it legitimizes repression and sidelines independent and exiled voices pushing for democratic reform.
Since the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus, independent media have been wiped out due to severe state repression. Journalists faced arrests, raids, and newsroom destruction, forcing many into exile. Some left the profession, others continue abroad—37 media workers remain imprisoned. Journalism education has changed drastically.
The Belarusian-Ukrainian publisher has grown to over 200 employees in 28 countries, fuelled by community features and a new tech platform in its bid to challenge established players. As traditional media business models falter, publishers are searching for new ways to engage audiences and generate revenue. For the sports media network Tribuna, the answer lies in a major technological and global expansion.
Independent media can be destroyed, journalists can be imprisoned — but they cannot be forced into silence. The starting point of the newest Belarusian history was August 9, 2020 — the day of voting in a presidential election that never truly happened. That day marked the beginning of a total purge of Belarus’s democratic society.
In August 2020, Belarus witnessed its largest protests in history, ignited by a disputed presidential election and widespread discontent. Five years later, the regime’s grip remains firm, with President Lukashenko still in power and indepedent journalists and opposition leaders in exile.
In this article, Natalia Belikova argues that Belarusian independent media in exile are vital to Europe’s security, countering authoritarian propaganda and upholding democratic discourse. She urges the EU to provide long-term support, warning that recent funding cuts endanger this essential media ecosystem.
The article by Maria Savushkina reflects on her personal experiences of fleeing Belarus in 2021 to escape arrest and then fleeing Ukraine after the war began. Through these traumatic journeys, she shares her insights on how oppression and war can profoundly change individuals. Savushkina also reflects on the human cost of conflict and the evolving threats posed by drones.
A February 2025 report from the Inter‑American Dialogue outlines a comprehensive roadmap for protecting independent journalism in closed and repressive environments. Drawing on insights from media practitioners and experts, it sets out strategies to strengthen legal guarantees, sustainability, safety and resilience, offering actionable ideas to support journalists and news outlets under threat at home or in exile.
In the final quarter of 2024, there was a rise in the criminal prosecution of journalists, both domestically and in absentia, along with more frequent searches of journalists’ homes and offices, and a wider scope of censorship. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has documented these alarming developments in a recent statement.
41 Belarusian journalists remain behind bars since 2020, punished for covering protests against presidential election fraud that gave Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in power. Their prison sentences range from 3 to 15 years, simply for doing their jobs — reporting the news. Hundreds more have fled the country. Yet they continue their work. Why?
The sports outlet «Tribuna» is actively expanding its network of apps and services – cutting-edge not just for Belarus, but for the entire region. Belarusian Association of Journalists spoke with Tribuna’s director, Maksim Berazinski, about how modern technologies are being integrated into their journalistic and editorial work.
The autocratic playbook of abusing or introducing economic laws to curtail journalists and newsrooms by attacking their credibility and financial viability is sharply outlined in a new report by WAN-IFRA and the IAPA.