Exiled investigative journalist surveilled, doxxed by Belarusian state TV 

New York, April 24, 2026—CPJ is alarmed that the Belarusian state-owned TV channel STV broadcast the address and phone number of exiled investigative journalist Stanislau Ivashkevich, and shared personal information about 20 other journalists. We call on Polish authorities to thoroughly investigate allegations that Ivashkevich has been surveilled by Belarusian security services, and on Belarus to stop endangering exiled journalists immediately. 

In the April 2 broadcast, reviewed by CPJ, STV host Raman Pratasevich claimed that Ivashkevich’s work as the director of Belarus’ leading investigative media outlet, Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC), has “led to entire sectors of the Belarusian economy being added to the sanctions lists,” referring to EU and other countries’ sanctions. Pratasevich disclosed Ivashkevich’s alleged phone number and address, a practice known as doxxing, released private video recordings of both him and his son, and shared video instructions on how to access the apartment where, according to Pratasevich, Ivashkevich is currently residing in Warsaw. Pratasevich also showed surveillance footage taken in 2022 of what he said was the entrance of the former BIC office in Warsaw. 

Pratasevich said that 17 Belarusian (including Ivashkevich), one Ukrainian, and three Russian journalists tied to BIC were facing criminal cases for “calling for sanctions aimed at harming national security” and for “participating in an extremist group.” While the fact that several of these journalists were facing criminal cases in absentia had already been made public in 2024, it is not clear whether Pratasevich’s claims related to new charges. 

“It is deeply shocking to see doxxing of exiled journalists broadcast on state television in Belarus, along with general threats and intimidation,” said Fiona O’Brien, CPJ’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia. “That Raman Pratasevich — himself once a victim of Belarusian transnational repression — should now be amplifying government efforts to intimidate independent media abroad is extremely chilling, and his actions directly put individual journalists at risk. We call on host governments including Poland to ensure robust protections are put in place for those targeted, and on Belarus to immediately cease its pursuit of journalists.”

Ivashkevich told CPJ in mid-April that he was planning to file a report with the Polish police and the prosecutor’s office about his alleged surveillance. 

In addition to Ivashkevich, Pratasevich listed 12 exiled journalists who he said are working with BIC, and shared their dates of birth and of departure from Belarus: Hanna Shabeta, Siarhei Chaly, Alena Charniauskaja, Mikalai Davidchyk, Alina Janchur, Aliaksei Hulitski, Lola Buryjeva, Sviatlana Yatskova, Yana Mitskievich, Ihar Kulei, Usevalad Shlykаu, and Krystsina Charniauskaya. At least one of them — Mitskievich — is a pseudonym used by a BIC journalist.

Pratasevich also listed four exiled journalists who allegedly left BIC in 2023 to create the investigative media outlet Buro Media — Aliaksandr Yarashevich, Volha Ratmitrava, Kseniya Viaznіkoutsava, and Aliaksei Karpeka — as well as three Russian journalists and Ukrainian journalist Maksym Savchuk as working for BIC.  

Both BIC and Buro Media are labeled as “extremist” in Belarus. 

Pratasevich — whose detention in May 2021 following the diversion by Belarus of a Lithuania-bound commercial flight to the capital, Minsk, caused a global outcry — was the chief editor of two popular Telegram channels that covered protests against the contested August 2020 reelection of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. 

In May 2023, a court in Minsk sentenced him to eight years in jail on charges ranging from “organizing mass protests” to “leading an extremist group.” He was pardoned by Lukashenko less than three weeks later. In October 2025, Lukashenko said Pratasevich had been working as an employee of Belarus’ intelligence service, which Pratasevich confirmed. In December 2025, he started working for STV. 

Belarus has been harassing journalists in exile with criminal cases in absentia, opaque investigations, intimidation of their families, and property seizure. According to CPJ research, as of April 24, authorities had opened criminal cases against more than 80 exiled Belarusian journalists and at least 23 journalists were behind bars in the country.

CPJ emailed the Belarusian Investigative Committee, the law enforcement agency in charge of pretrial proceedings, and STV for comment but did not receive a reply. CPJ could not find contact information for Pratasevich. Poland’s National Police force told CPJ it was not yet aware of a criminal complaint being filed. Poland’s general prosecutor’s office told CPJ that its inquiry “[had] been forwarded to the national prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction over the matter, for appropriate action.”