Belarus government blocks top media outlet, detain reporters

The Belarusian authorities have blocked the website of a leading online media outlet and detained several of its journalists, the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on dissent and independent media in the ex-Soviet nation

KYIV, Ukraine -- The Belarusian authorities on Thursday blocked the website of a leading online media outlet and detained several of its journalists, the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on dissent and independent media in the ex-Soviet nation. Belarus' Information Ministry said it has blocked Nasha Niva's website after the Prosecutor General's office had accused it of posting unspecified unlawful information. The Belarusian Association of Journalists, or BAJ, said that the authorities conducted searches at Nasha Niva's offices, detained its chief editor Yahor Martsinovich and editor Andrey Skurko and searched their apartments. Another four Nasha Niva journalists couldn't be reached, the BAJ said. Nasha Niva journalist Аrtsem Harbatsevich likened the crackdown to the authorities' earlier action against another top independent news portal, Tut.by, which similarly saw its website blocked and journalists detained in May.