Minsk, Aug 2: The Belarusian Union of Journalists announced on Monday freezing its participation in the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and suspending contacts with its organizations because of alleged political interference in the affairs of Belarus and its professional media community. “The Belarusian Union of Journalists freezes its participation in the IFJ and suspends its cooperation with executive bodies of the IFJ. The decision was made unanimously by the union of journalists’ secretariat, the ethics committee and representatives of all the regional associations of the Belarusian Union of Journalists,” the union said in a statement, which it posted on Telegram. Among the key reasons behind the decision, the union mentioned “systematic ignoring” of its position; lack of solidarity with Belarusian reporters in the wake of foreign nations’ infringement on their rights and freedoms; and “gross political interference” in the affairs of Belarus and the professional media community. The Belarusian Union of Journalists accused IFJ officials of pursuing a “biased and non-constructive policy.”
