The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has vehemently criticized the conviction and sentencing of Belarusian journalist Ihar Ilyash, who has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Minsk City Court for allegedly promoting extremist activities and discrediting Belarus. The court also imposed a fine of 4,200 rubles (approximately US$1,240) on Ilyash, further intensifying international concerns over press freedom in Belarus.

The trial, which started in February 2025, experienced several postponements, including a significant delay for a "psycholinguistic examination" of Ilyash's articles by Siarhei Liebiadzinski from the Belarusian State University, rather than a neutral state expertise center. This unusual move has raised eyebrows among human rights advocates and legal observers.

Ilyash, detained since October 2024, stood firm in rejecting all accusations, even as state media vilified him for engaging with independent and Ukrainian media outlets, which the Belarusian government labels as "extremist formations." Despite the lack of evidence of factual inaccuracies in his articles, the court criticized Ilyash for alleged political bias, a tactic increasingly viewed as an attempt to criminalize dissent.

Rights groups like CPJ and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) have condemned the trial as a politically motivated attack on free speech. Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia Program coordinator, emphasized that Ilyash's sentencing is a clear indicator of the ongoing repression faced by journalists in Belarus. She urged the Belarusian government to release Ilyash and all other journalists imprisoned under similar charges.

This case is part of a broader crackdown on independent journalism in Belarus following the controversial 2020 presidential election. The government has ramped up its use of "extremism" laws to stifle opposition and suppress critical media coverage. According to reports, Belarus currently has one of the highest numbers of journalists incarcerated in Europe.

As the global community watches, the actions of Belarusian authorities continue to draw widespread criticism, casting a long shadow over the country's commitment to fundamental human rights and freedom of expression.