-written by Anastasiia Soshalska and Olesia Podvorniak
On November 26th, a meeting with Belarusian journalists took place in the building of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) with the participation of the founders and members of the Media Dialogue project. The topical issue of Ukrainian media support for foreign colleagues, in particular in neighboring countries where there is no foundation for the development of an independent information space was discussed.
As of November 26th, 30 journalists are in captivity in Belarus. Barys Haretski, deputy head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, shared his views on the situation: “Ukraine is an island of freedom for media workers in The Commonwealth of Independant States. Until recently, Minsk television demonized the events on the Maidan in Ukraine. Because of Lukashenko’s totalitarian regime, we are forced to seek refuge here. Now we can implement our projects and work according to our vocation”. Since the beginning of Lukashenko’s presidency in Belarus, many media outlets have ceased their activities and have been banned. Journalists have lost their jobs and have no right to fulfill their duty to provide people with truthful information.
Glafira Zhuk, a Belarusian journalist, also added: “I know what spending 30 days in prison for my work feels like. I am convinced that totalitarian regimes cannot last long. I hope that soon our colleagues will be released, then the best time will come for our country”.
In addition to discussing the relations between Ukraine and Belarus, the conference raised the issue of cooperation with other countries. A journalist from Chisinau, Konstantin Uzdriz, added that Moldova and Ukraine are not tangible in each other’s information fields. According to him, this is a big problem for neighboring countries and partly the fault of journalists.
The conference was also attended by the deputy director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of journalism, as well as the deputy project manager from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Yevhen Tsymbalenko. In his speech, he emphasizes: “Freedom is never given for free. Ukraine does have free and democratic media, but what kind of cost did we pay? The sea of blood shed in the Donbas region, as well as the occupied Crimea, proves that we are also fighting for freedom of speech. I thank everyone who, by their own efforts, is fighting for the opportunity to have independent media”.
During the meeting, union members also presented awards to several participants. In particular, the Belarusian Association of Journalists received an award for the protection of freedom of speech in 2021. Crimean journalist Mykola Semena also received the Pavel Sheremet European Prize, which was awarded to him at the eighth annual assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum. Unfortunately, at that time, Mykola could not join the event due to Russian persecution.
The conference took place in the building of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine, where an exhibition of frontline photography by Olena Khudyakova was symbolically held. On the stands were her works from 2015-2019, when she was in Donbas, defending her country. One of the activities of the union is to protect journalists and support them in difficult situations, according to Lina Kushch, the first secretary. They also identify a branch of laboring with women who work in the media and face problems.
Media Dialogue as an international project helps to establish contact between journalists from different countries. “Contact is the main thing for the media, of course, after talent. We strive to educate a new generation of journalists, offer new ways to develop events and solve problems. So, Media Dialogue is not just a name, it is a way of life that we are all approaching”, says Wolfgang Ressmann, the main project manager from Germany.
