Journalists Darya Chultsova, 23, and Yekaterina Andreyeva, 27, were detained in November while covering a demonstration in memory of an opposition activist who died in Minsk a few days before.
Local media reported that the activist, Roman Bondarenko, apparently died from injuries sustained after being beaten by riot police. The Prosecutor General of Belarus announced on Wednesday that an investigation into his death has been launched but said “that the involvement of employees of the internal affairs bodies in causing Bondarenko bodily harm has not been established.”
The court on Thursday ruled that Chultsova and Andreyeva are guilty of “organizing a demonstration that grossly violates public order.”
According to the investigators, Belsat reported, the journalists allegedly gathered protesters by talking about it on air, which then led to “interruptions of public transport in the area.” Chultsova and Andreyeva maintain they are innocent.
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