France deplores the arrest of Belarusian journalist Aksana Kolb, editor-in-chief of the Novy Chas newspaper, and the charges filed against her on April 22. These proceedings once again illustrate the Belarusian authorities' ongoing policy of repression against independent media and all forms of opposition to the illegitimate regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
We applaud Ms. Kolb's commitment, and that of all independent Belarusian journalists, to the right of Belarusian citizens to have access to reliable, fact-checked information.
France calls for the immediate, unconditional release of Aksana Kolb and the other 26 journalists currently being detained in Belarus.