On December 8, 2017, Minsk-based RFE/RL Belarus Service correspondent Halina Abakunchyk was named “Journalist of the Year” by a coalition of leading human rights organizations in Belarus. Abakunchyk earned the award for her continuing coverage of the February-March 2017 standoff between activists and crews trying to begin construction of an office building near what many Belarusians consider hallowed ground – the site in Kurapaty forest where the remains of thousands of Stalin-era victims of repression are buried. The private project, supported by the Minsk city government, was cancelled by its developer as a result of the 15-day standoff.
Belarus Service's Abakunchyk Named "Journalist of the Year"
