Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko strongly condemn violations of rights and freedoms of media representatives in Belarus.

Continued pressure on journalists, attacks on the freedom of speech and lives of journalists in Belarus go against its international obligations and worldwide democratic standards.

While usurping the information space of Belarus, Minsk attempts to take it under total control in a deliberate and unprincipled manner and fill it exclusively with pro-government propaganda, which has no place in the modern world.

Taking into account these threats, as well as the unpredictability of the Belarusian authorities, we advise Ukrainian journalists, human rights and civic activists to avoid visiting this country.

We demand Belarusian authorities to immediately release Roman Protasevich and other political prisoners, cease repressions against independent media and restore respect for human rights and freedoms.