Journalist Says 2 Former State TV Hosts In Belarus Were ‘Arrested In The Middle Of The Night’ For Supporting Protests

Two former Belurisian state television hosts were reportedly arrested on Wednesday night for siding with protesters in Belarus, a Minsk-based journalist reported.

Dzmitry Kakhno was reportedly found guilty of “participating in unauthorized mass actions,” a judge ruled Thursday, according to Belarusian outlet Charter 97. Dzianis Dudzinski was reportedly arrested on the same charges, though the result of his trial is unclear.

The hosts were reportedly fired from their state television jobs for statements supporting the protests this summer, Charter 9 reported.

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Around six reporters were reportedly detained by police for allegedly “organizing protests” on Wednesday, according to Minsk-based journalist Franak Viačorka.

One photojournalist, identified by Viačorka as Andrei Shauliuha, was reportedly wearing a blue “press” vest, though police arrested him for coordinating “the actions of the crowd.”

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Around 50 journalists reportedly protested near the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Thursday, demanding that all detained journalists be released saying that police purposefully target them, according to Viačorka.

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Journalists were reportedly detained over 150 times in Belarus during the month of August, according to Viačorka. Photojournalist Natallia Lubnieuskaja was allegedly injured and is recovering from surgery.