‘It’s just madness’: Belarusian journalist faces 12 years in prison over an article that was deleted immediately after publication

Belarusian journalist Gennady Mozheiko has been in custody for more than ten days. A longtime reporter for the recently shuttered Belarusian edition of the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, Mozheiko was arrested in early October after publishing an article about a deadly shootout between an IT worker and security forces in Minsk. The article was only online for a few minutes before the publication took it down to "avoid conflicts." Nevertheless, in the days that followed, the Belarusian authorities blocked the website of Komsomolskaya Pravda in Belarus (citing national security reasons) and took Genady Mozheiko into custody. On October 11, Komsomolskaya Pravda surmised that because Mozheiko hadn't been released, he must have been indicted on charges of "inciting social hatred or discord" and "insulting a government official." Under Belarusian law, these felonies are punishable by up to 12 years in prison. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/10/12/it-s-just-madness