The spring session of the UJF Council, 19 May, discussed the situation facing journalists in Finland and abroad and the work of the Union to improve members’ rights. Union President Hanne Aho said that charges brought against three Helsingin Sanomat journalists and the further concentration of media ownership in Finland were responsible for the countryRead More
The Council of the Union of Journalists in Finland, meeting 21 May, voiced its deep concern for its colleagues in Belarus and condemns the increasing persecution of journalists and the media by the Belarusian government and authorities. The situation came to a head this week when the Tut.by news, media and service internet portal, theRead More
The Union of Journalists in Finland has appealed to the Finnish government to exert pressure on Belarus to release imprisoned journalists and withdraw criminal charges against journalists. The union is also concerned about cases of persecution, torture and ill-treatment taking place in Belarus. The UJF has sent the appeal to Prime Minister Sanna Marin andRead More
The UJF has strongly condemned the concerted attack on 16 February by Belarusian security forces on a number of the country’s journalists and journalists’ organisations. State security officials pretending to be police officers, swooped on the home of Andrei Bastunets, the chair of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and arrested him. BAJ press secretaryRead More
Since the undemocratic election in Belarus on 9 August, the situation for the country’s journalists has deteriorated. Even before the election, freedom of the press in Belarus was severely restricted and it is now clear that President Alexander Lukashenko is doing everything he can to silence the country’s journalists.
The UJF has expressed concern at the worsening situation in Belarus and the treatment of journalists trying to carry out their work. The police have violently put down protests that erupted following the presidential elections. Violence has also been used in some places specifically to stop the free flow of information. At least 25 journalistsRead More