A Catholic journalist imprisoned under harsh conditions since 2020 for reporting on the Belarusian regime for a US-funded news outlet has been freed, along with dozens of other political prisoners from Belarus. Source: National Catholic Register.
Ihar Losik, 33, is married and has a six-year-old daughter who was a baby when he was imprisoned and has not seen her father since his arrest.
Mr Losik was a freelance contributor to Radio Svoboda, the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a US-funded news agency that promotes democracy, human rights and free speech, mainly in European nations where freedom of the press is restricted.
As a strong Catholic, Mr Losik wrote an impassioned letter to the late Pope Francis in 2021, pleading for the Pontiff to use his voice to advocate for those unjustly detained in Belarus.
Following recent negotiations with the US, Belarus freed a total of 52 political prisoners on September 11.
US President Donald Trump had personally appealed to authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to release the detainees in exchange for sanctions relief.
The US delegation that negotiated the prisoners’ release brought them to safety in Lithuania, Reuters reported. Mr Losik was among those freed, along with numerous other journalists and human rights advocates.
“Ihar suffered horribly because he was a journalist working for RFE/RL. This phase of his excruciating and wholly unfair ordeal, which stretched beyond five years, is finally over,” Stephen Capus, RFE/RL president and CEO, said in a statement.
Mr Losik was first arrested in June 2020 ahead of a highly disputed Belarusian presidential election. Authorities later handed Mr Losik a 15-year sentence, with the charges brought against him including incitement of hatred, “organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order,” and “preparation for participation in riots.”
He reportedly endured lengthy periods of isolation and severe physical and psychological pressures while in prison.
FULL STORY
Catholic Journalist in Belarus Released After 5 Years in Prison (By Jonah McKeown, CNA via National Catholic Register)
