Iryna Slaunikava, the official representative in Belarus of Belsat television is missing. As human rights activists have reported, most probably she has been arrested at the airport in Minsk. Iryna Slaunikava and her husband Alyaksandr Loyka had been returning to Minsk from Egypt on the night of October 30. Their plane did land in Minsk, but her and her husband's phones are not answering.
Agnieszka Romaszewska, director of Belsat TV told Polish Press Agency PAP that Slaunikava and her husband were currently being held in a notorious detention centre known for torturing prisoners.
Belsat television, which is funded by the Polish government, has had its website and social network sites declared "extremist" outlets by the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka.
Poland has sponsored the Belsat television channel since 2007, with satellite broadcasts to Belarus in Belarusian and Russian. The project includes the website and social media accounts.
Two Belsat reporters, Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova are currently serving sentences of two years in prison for broadcasting live online a protest in memory of Raman Bandarenka in November 2020.
Slaunikava has been official representative for Belsat in Minsk for 14 years. She was also responsible for Belsats contacts with NGOs and international organisations operating in Belarus.
Source: IAR/PAP