Iryna Leushyna

Iryna Leushyna
Ірына Леўшына
Born (1965-11-29) 29 November 1965
Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipBelarus
OccupationJournalist
Years active1992–present
EmployerBelaPAN
Criminal chargesLeading an extremist organisation
Criminal penaltyFour years in prison
Criminal statusReleased

Iryna Alehauna Leushyna (Belarusian: Ірына Алегаўна Леўшына; born 29 November 1965) is a Belarusian journalist. She is the editor-in-chief and director of the independent news agency BelaPAN, for which she was named Journalist of the Year in 2018. Leushyna was imprisoned between 2021 and 2024 on charges of leading an "extremist organisation".

Biography

Leushyna studied journalism at university before getting married and having children. She worked part-time for the newspapers Schastlivy sluchay and Respublika, but struggled to find full-time work due to her having a child. In 1992, she began working for BelaPAN as a news editor. In 2018, following the death of the agency's founder, Ales Lipai, Leushyna became BelaPAN's director.[1]

On 8 August 2018, Leushyna was among 15 journalists detained for 48 hours after being accused of stealing reports from the official state news agency, BelTA, causing alleged financial losses of up to 7000 BYN. Leushuyna's computer was confiscated and her home was searched.[2][3] The detention of Leushyna and others was condemned by international organisations including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Union, the Council of Europe and Reporters Without Borders.[4][5] Later that month, Leushyna was banned from leaving Belarus. In November 2018, the charges against all of the journalists were dropped with the exception of Marina Zolotova, but they were ordered to pay damages of 12, 000 BYN and fines of 735 BYN.[6] On 30 November 2018, Leushyna was named "Journalist of the Year" by the National Awards for Achievements in the Field of Human Rights, alongside Tatyana Karavyankova and Alyaksandr Tamkovich, for ensuring human rights news did not disappear from the public sphere.[7][8][9]

On 18 August 2021, police officers raided the offices of BelaPAN, seizing its servers and blocking its website, and arresting Leushyna and several other employees on charges of "financially supporting protests" and "organisation and active participation in actions that grossly violate public order".[10][11] On 19 August, Leushyna and the other arrested BelaPAN employees were recognised as political prisoners in a joint statement by 10 human rights organisations, including Viasna, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Belarusian PEN Centre, and Pravavaya initsyyatyva.[12][13]

In November 2021, the Belarusian KGB named BelaPan as an extremist organisation. Leushyna's trial started on 6 June 2022, with the charges against her being reclassified as "establishing and organising an extremist organisation".[14] On 6 October 2022, the Minsk District Court sentenced her to four years imprisonment and a fine of 26, 500 BYN; subsequent appeals were rejected on 6 October 2022 and 6 January 2023 by the Supreme Court.[15][16][17] The Ministry of Internal Affairs added Leushyna to its list of Belarusian citizens involved in extremist activities.

Leushyna served her sentence at Women's Prison No. 4 in Gomel. She was released on 7 December 2024 after serving three years, three months and three weeks of her sentence.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Ирина Левшина: Моя мечта — уважать руководство моей страны". Reformation (in Russian). 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  2. ^ Shestakov, Ignat (12 August 2018). "Не тот товар: почему в кражу белорусских новостей сложно поверить". Izvestia (in Russian). Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Dziennikarze wolnych mediów i korespondent Deutsche Welle oskarżeni w sprawie Biełty". Belsat (in Polish). 11 September 2018. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  4. ^ "OSCE Representative concerned over measures against independent media outlets in Belarus, calls on authorities to release detained journalists". OSCE. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Białoruś: Zatrzymani dziennikarze już na wolności". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Ірына Леўшына: «Справа БЕЛТА» магла проста разваліцца ў судзе". Novy Chas (in Belarusian). 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  7. ^ Prus, Justyna (10 December 2018). "Białoruś: Dziennikarka Iryna Leuszyna z nagrodą obrońców praw człowieka". Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Наш зямляк можа стаць Журналістам года. Вядомы шорт-ліст Нацыянальнай прэміі беларускіх праваабаронцаў". Rehijanalnaja Hazieta (in Belarusian). 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Вызначаны шорт-ліст Нацыянальнай прэміі беларускіх праваабаронцаў". Polskaye Radyyo (in Belarusian). 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Lukaschenkos Regime geht gegen unabhängige Nachrichtenagentur vor". Der Spiegel (in German). 18 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Praca redakcji BiełaPAN sparaliżowana po rewizji białoruskich służb. Agencja będzie kontynuować pracę z zagranicy". TVN24 (in Polish). 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Заява аб прызнанні трох супрацоўнікаў "БелаПАН" палітычнымі зняволенымі". Viasna (in Belarusian). 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Зняволеныя супрацоўнікі «БелаПАН» прызнаныя палітвязнямі". Novy Chas (in Belarusian). 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Суд па справе "БелаПАН": у чым абвінавачваюць чатырох палітвязняў". Viasna (in Belarusian). 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Вярхоўны суд пакінуў прысуды абвінавачаным па «справе БелаПАН»". Novy Chas (in Belarusian). 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Białoruski sąd skazuje niezależnych dziennikarzy nawet na 14 lat więzienia". Bankier (in Polish). 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Białoruś: Dziennikarze niezależnej agencji informacyjnej z wyrokami od 4 do 14 lat więzienia". WNP (in Polish). 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  18. ^ "BelaPAN editor-in-chief Iryna Leushyna released from prison". Belarusian Association of Journalists. 10 December 2024. Archived from the original on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
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