Radio Free Europe /Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF)
invite you to join this
ONLINE EVENT:
Belarus' Democratic Future: Keeping the Space Open for Civic Activism and Media
recorded on:
Friday, August 13, 2021
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EDT | 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CEST
Speakers
Alyaksandra Dynko
Reporter and Contributing Editor, Belarus Service, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Jamie Fly
President, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Serge Kharytonau
Media Expert, iSANS
Moderator
Jonathan Katz
Senior Fellow and Director, Democracy Initiatives, German Marshall Fund of the United States
Please join the German Marshall Fund of the United States and RFE/RL on August 13 for a timely virtual discussion on Belarus and recognition of the one year anniversary of the ongoing crisis still facing Belarusians at the hands of authoritarian Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his regime.
On August 9 it will be one year since fraudulent elections took place in Belarus leading to widespread protests in the streets and a sustained movement of opposition to Lukashenka inside and out of the country. During this period more than 30,000 Belarusians have been arrested, and today more than 600 people remain political prisoners. Despite Lukashenka’s violence, Belarusian civil society and independent media continue their work in the face of the regime's steadily increasing attacks and efforts to silence independent voices. Speakers joining this virtual event will discuss the latest challenges facing Belarusians and independent media, including RFE/RL, in Belarus. Over the past year RFE/RL and its journalists in Belarus have been targeted, attacked, and arrested as part of the Lukashenka regime's intensifying crackdown on media, and its bureau has been raided and shut down. What steps need to be taken in Belarus and externally to ensure that civic spaces and independent media, including RFE/RL, remain open and the people of Belarus continue to have alternatives to the state-run outlets controlled by the Lukashenka government?
If you have any questions, please contact John Alexander at jalexander@gmfus.org.
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan policy organization committed to the idea that the United States and Europe are stronger together.
RFE/RL relies on its networks of local reporters to provide accurate news and information to more than 41 million people every week in 27 languages and 23 countries where media freedom is restricted, or where a professional press has not fully developed. Its videos were viewed 6.5 billion times on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram/IGTV in FY2020. RFE/RL is an editorially independent media company funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.