Description
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) is a Belarusian professional association of journalists from independent media, created in 1995 to protect freedom of speech, freedom of information, promote the professional standards of journalism, conduct monitoring of Belarusian press, and offer legal support to all media workers.
In 1997, BAJ became an associate member of the International Federation of Journalists. Since 2013, the Association has also been a full member of the European Federation of Journalists.
The Association experienced significant pressure from the authorities since the 2000s. The journalists were detained, beaten, forbidden to leave the country, faced criminal and administrative charges, etc. In the Summer the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus 2021 issued a warning to BAJ and demanded access to thousands of documents, including all emails for 3.5 years. Part of the required documents was confiscated by the Investigative Committee of Belarus a few months earlier, some were unavailable and kept inside the office, sealed after police searches. A day later after the second warning the Ministry initiated the liquidation process. The Supreme Court of Belarus terminated BAJ license on August 27, 2021. On February 28, 2023, the Association was declared an 'extremist formation' by the Belarusian KGB.
