Voices Festival 2025, held in Zagreb from 27 February to 1 March, was a time for celebration and reflection but also an opportunity to express solidarity with journalists deprived of their freedom in Belarus or forced to live in exile.
The film “Under the Gray Sky,” directed by Mara Tamkovich, was screened on 28 February. The movie depicts the story of Belarusian journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova, who were imprisoned for reporting on protests in Minsk’s Square of Changes in 2020.
Following the screening, director Mara Tamkovich met the audience and answered questions about the realities of working in the Belarusian media, the human rights situation, and the fate of Katsiaryna Andreyeva and her husband, Ihar Ilyash.
“Ihar Ilyash is currently on trial in Minsk. Katsiaryna Andreyeva remains behind bars. Despite the intensity of global events, we must stay focused on this issue and not allow the world to forget about Belarusian prisoners of conscience,” said Tamkovich.
The next day, during the “Living Stories” session, Belarusian journalist Aksana Brovach, who is currently in exile, shared her powerful story in an intimate discussion with participants.
The audience expressed their solidarity with imprisoned Belarusian journalists by taking a collective photo holding their portraits as part of the Solidarity Marathon campaign organised by the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). The campaign has already reached over 30 countries.
The BAJ is calling on journalists around the world to support Belarusian journalists:
- Print portraits of imprisoned journalists
- Take photos holding them in your cities
- Share them on social media with the hashtags #СвабодуЖурналістам and #BecauseTheJournalist
- Send your photos to office(at)baj.media or intercomm(at)baj.media
Source: EFJ
