Katsyaryna Andreeva

Katsyaryna Andreeva (Belarusian: Кацярына Андрэева; Russian: Катерина Андреева (English: Katerina Andreeva); real name: Katsyaryna Andreevna Bakhvalava; Belarusian: Кацярына Андрэеўна Бахвалава) (born on November 2, 1993, in Minsk, Belarus) is a journalist from Belarus. She worked for the television channel Belsat TV. She showed the event at the place where Raman Bandarenka was beaten to death in 2020. She was arrested there on November 15, 2020, in Minsk.

Katsyaryna Andreeva
Кацярына Андрэева
Born (1993-11-02) November 2, 1993 (age 31)
CitizenshipBelarus
Occupationjournalist, political prisoner
EmployerBelsat
Known forbroadcasting from "Square of Changes [en]"
Criminal charge(s)actions that attack public order
Criminal penalty2 years in prison
Spouse(s)Igar Ilyash (married 2016–present)
AwardsJournalist of the Year (2020)
Award named after Dariusz Fikus (2021)
"Honor of Journalism" (2021)
Axel-Springer-Preis (2021)
Courage in Journalism Award (2021)
Preis für die Freiheit und Zukunft der Medien (2021)
Free Media Award [en] (2021)
Prix Europa [en] (2021)

Early life, education and career

She was born in Minsk. Her family had journalists before. She learned for about two and a half years in Minsk State Linguistic University, then she moved to Spain. She taught English there for two years. Then she came back home, got to work for the newspaper Nasha Niva as a journalist. In 2017, she moved to the TV channel Belsat.[1]

Katsyaryna Andreeva with Igar Ilyash wrote the book «Belarusian Donbas» in 2020.[1] The book let people know how the Belarusian side takes part in the War in Donbas for the separatists side. The Belarusian government considered the book to be very bad. In 2021, via court decision, it made the book illegal in Belarus for extremism.[2]

Katsyaryna was first arrested in 2017 in Orsha.[3] On September 12, 2020, she was arrested by special police for a live broadcast of a women's protest in Minsk and was locked up for three days.[3]

Criminal procedure

Together with journalist Darya Chultsova, she became a person in a criminal case on organizing actions that attack public order.[4] Both showed the event of a cruel attack of the police at the place where Raman Bandarenka was beaten to death and the people stood to support the dead one live.[5][6] That took place at the "Square of Changes [en]" ("Ploscha Peramen") in Minsk on November 15, 2020.[1]

She was not freed after the arrest there. Katsyaryna was moved to a prison in Zhodzina, where she was held until her court trial. On November 24, 2020, ten organizations (the Viasna Human Rights Centre, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and others) made a joint statement.[7][8][9] It said that she is a political prisoner.[7][8][9]

At a Minsk court meeting led by the judge Natalia Buguk on February 18, 2021, Andreeva und Chultsova were sentenced to serve two years in prison for pushing 2020 Belarusian protests.[10][11] The state prosecutor was Alina Kasyanchyk, the detective was Ihar Kurylovich.[12]

On April 23, 2021, Minsk City Court said no to a request to call off or change the sentence.[13]

On July 13, 2022, Andreyeva was additionally sentenced to 8 years in prison on charges of state treason.[14]

Reaction

 
Kyiv, Ukraine, May 5, 2021. Support for Darya Chultsova (left), Katsyaryna Andreeva (right) in the middle of the picture

On February 8, 2021, the US Embassy in Belarus made a statement. It asked to make Chultsova and Andreeva free.[15]

On February 4, 2021, support for the political prisoner was undertaken by Delara Burkhardt, a Member of the European Parliament.[16]

Following the sentencing, on February 18, 2021, President of Poland Andrzej Duda made a public call to make Chultsova and Andreeva free.[17]

On June 21, 2021, the Council of the European Union made a decision to put those responsible for the punishment of the journalists in the list of people and organizations sanctioned in relation to human rights violations in Belarus [en].[18] Judge Natalia Buguk was put in the EU blacklist for frequent decisions against journalists and protesters in connection to politics.[12] One example of such verdicts was named.[12] It was the guilty verdict against Katsyaryna Bahvalava (Andreeva) and Darya Chultsova.[12] Prosecutor number two Alina Kasyanchyk was put in the list for the prosecution of the journalists.[12] She was held responsible for indictment of both journalists for "making electronic motion pictures of quiet protests that were named 'conspiracy' and 'violation of public order'" without cause.[12] Detective Ihar Kurylovich was put in the list for the preparation of the criminal case against the journalists.[12] He had made the criminal case ready in connection to politics.[12]

Awards

Thoughts

«[They are] strong in spirit, have no doubt in the right [of them], supported by friends, colleagues and the people that they do not know at all – such Katya and Dasha will be put in books," Aksana Kolb, editor-in-chief of Novy Chas, wrote two or three days before their sentencing.[31]

Personal life

She got married with journalist Igar Ilyash in 2016.[1]

Books

  • «Belarusian Donbas» (together with Igar Ilyash) (2020)

Katsyaryna Andreeva Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Панкавец, Зміцер (2020-11-21). "Хто такая журналістка Кацярына Андрэева? Расказваюць яе муж і дзядуля" (in беларуская). Nasha Niva. Archived from the original on 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  2. "В Минске судили книгу «Белорусский Донбасс». Признали экстремистской" (in русский). Belsat. 2021-03-26. Archived from the original on 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Styrczula, Antoni (2021-02-05). "Mąż aresztowanej reporterki Biełsatu: "To tak bolesne nie móc przytulić ukochanej osoby"" (in polski). Belsat. Archived from the original on 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  4. Mary, Ilyushina (2021-02-18). "Two journalists, 23 and 27, get two years in jail for live-streaming a protest in Belarus". CNN. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  5. Agencies, Minsk (2021-02-18). "Belarus jails two journalists who covered Lukashenko protest". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  6. "Two Belarusian journalists sentenced to two years in prison for doing their job". European Federation of Journalists. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Правозащитники признали политзаключенными журналисток Борисевич, Андрееву и Чульцову" (in русский). BelaPAN. 2020-11-24. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Правозащитники признали журналисток Катерину Борисевич, Катерину Андрееву и Дарью Чульцову политзаключенными" (in русский). MediaZona. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Журналисток TUT.BY и «Белсат» правозащитники назвали политзаключенными" (in русский). TUT.BY. 2020-11-24. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  10. Спевак, Дарья (2021-02-18). "Журналисток «Белсата» приговорили к 2 годам лишения свободы". Onliner.by (in русский). ex-press.by. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  11. "Журналістак «Белсату» Андрэеву і Чульцову пакаралі 2 гадамі турмы за стрым з «плошчы Перамен». ФОТА і ВІДЭА" (in беларуская). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2021-02-18. Archived from the original on 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2021/997 - EUR-Lex [en], 21.06.2021
  13. "Суд пакінуў без зменаў вырак Кацярыне Андрэевай і Дар'і Чульцовай. Каці і Дашы ў зале не было" (in беларуская). Belsat. 2021-04-23. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  14. "Палітзняволеная Кацярына Андрэева падала апеляцыйную скаргу на вынесены нядаўна прысуд". Novy Chas (in беларуская). 2022-07-30.
  15. "ЗША заклікалі вызваліць журналістак Кацярыну Андрэеву і Дар'ю Чульцову перад судом" (in беларуская). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2021-02-08. Archived from the original on 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  16. "Members of Parliament from Switzerland, Germany and Ireland take over godparenthood for Yuliya Slutskaya, Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Vitold Ashurak". Libereco. 2021-02-04. Archived from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  17. "Польскі прэзыдэнт заклікаў улады Беларусі амніставаць асуджаных журналістак «Белсату»" (in беларуская). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2021-02-18. Archived from the original on 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  18. МГ/АА (2021-06-21). "Евросоюз утвердил новый пакет санкций против представителей Беларуси. Кто в списке?" (in русский). Belsat. Archived from the original on 2021-06-27. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  19. "Названы лауреаты Национальной правозащитной премии" (in русский). Viasna Human Rights Centre. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  20. "Есть такая профессия! "Журналистами года" правозащитники пр". Belarusian Partisan (in русский). 2020-12-10. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  21. "«Журналистами года» правозащитники назвали трех арестованных по уголовным делам журналисток, в том числе и Катерину Борисевич" (in русский). TUT.BY. 2020-12-10. Archived from the original on 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
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  23. "Катерина Борисевич, Катерина Андреева и Дарья Чульцова удостоены премии «Гонар журналістыкі»" (in русский). Brestskaya Gazeta. 2021-04-09. Archived from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  24. (in de) Axel-Springer-Preis an Nachwuchsjournalisten verliehen. 2021-06-07. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20210608181603/https://www.welt.de/kultur/medien/article231655083/Axel-Springer-Preis-an-Nachwuchsjournalisten-verliehen.html. Retrieved 2021-06-08. 
  25. "Журналистки Андреева и Чульцова стали лауреатами журналистской премии за мужество" (in русский). Charter 97. 2021-06-10. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
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  29. Ik, Adom (2021-10-16). "Kaciaryna Andrejewa i Daria Czulcowa europejskim dziennikarzem roku" (in polski). TVP Info. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  30. "PRIX EUROPA 2021 European Journalist of the Year 2021". Prix Europa [en]. 2021-10-15. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  31. Колб, Аксана (2021-02-12). "Помста за праўду". Novy Chas (in беларуская). 6 (714): 1.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

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