Belarus Launches New Criminal Case Against Independent Tut.by Journalists
udf.byFifteen editors and journalists from Tut.by were arrested on charges of tax evasion. Eleven of them remain either in custody or under house arrest. Belarusian authorities have launched a new criminal probe against independent news website Tut.by, amid a continuing crackdown on independent media and freedom of speech. An unspecified number of Tut.by staff members are suspected of jointly inciting social hatred or discord, the Investigative Committee of Belarus said on October 7.
It did not provide further details. If charged and convicted, the suspects would face up to 12 years in prison. Tut.by, once the leading independent news outlet in Belarus, was blocked by the authorities in May, and 15 of its editors and journalists were arrested on.
