Imprisonment of journalists in Belarus

That this House condemns the imprisonment for twelve years of Belarusian journalists Maryna Zolatava and Liudmila Chekina by the Lukashenka regime on politically-motivated charges; further condemns that the two have been added to the Lukashenka regime’s list of extremists, meaning they will be banned from taking on any public role in Belarus and the police will be able to follow them when they are released from prison; emphasises that their cases are part of the wider crackdown launched by the Belarusian authorities following the fraudulent presidential election in August 2020, with over thirty journalists currently behind bars in Belarus, making the country the fourth largest jailer of journalists in the world; supports the campaign by Reporters Without Borders, who are collecting messages of support for Maryna Zolatava to be delivered to the Belarusian Embassies in several countries, including the UK, on her birthday on 6 November; and calls on the Lukashenka regime to release Maryna Zolatava and all other political prisoners in Belarus.