Yuliya Slutskaya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yuliya Slutskaya | |
|---|---|
Юлія Слуцкая | |
 Slutskaya in 2011 | |
| Born | 15 September 1964 |
| Citizenship | Belarus |
| Alma mater | Belarusian State University |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Organization | Tell the Truth |
| Criminal charges | Tax evasion |
| Criminal penalty | Fine |
| Awards | Freedom of Speech Award (2021) |
Yuliya Vitalyeuna Slutskaya (Belarusian: Юлія Вітальеўна Слуцкая; born 15 September 1964) is a Belarusian journalist and former political prisoner. She is the founder of Press Club Belarus and the Information Bureau of Solidarity with Belarus.
Slutskaya studied sociology from the Belarusian State University. She spent several years after her graduation working for the university's sociology department.[1]
Journalism career
Slutskaya began working as a journalist in 1994, initially working for BelKP-Pres as a sociologist.[2] By 1997, she had become the editor of Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belorussii, a Belarusian Russian-language newspaper which she was among the founding members.[1] By the time Slutskaya resigned as editor in 2006, the newspaper had a circulation of almost 330, 000, with around half of every edition focusing specifically on Belarusian issues. Slutskaya resigned following the 2006 Belarusian presidential election.[2]
In 2007, Slutskaya was named editor-in-chief of European Radio for Belarus, an independent radio station.[2] She voluntarily left the role in February 2011.[3]
Activism
In February 2010, the pro-democracy and anti-corruption Tell the Truth campaign was established, which nominated Uladzimir Nyaklyayew as its candidate in the 2010 Belarusian presidential election. Slutskaya conceived and implement Tell the Truth's media campaign, and also served a media consultant for Nyaklyayew.[2][3] During the 2010 Belarusian protests, following which many of the Tell the Truth leadership were detained at the KGB RB prison Amerikanka, and its offices searched, Slutskaya was forced to flee Belarus for Warsaw, Poland.[2]
In January 2011, Slutskaya established the Information Bureau of Solidarity with Belarus from Warsaw. The organisation toured European capitals ahead of the European Parliament and European Council's planned sessions discussing Belarus, including Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. The group's actions included holding meetings, organising conferences and photo exhibitions, and screening a film about the 2010 protests.[3]
Slutskaya later returned to Minsk, where in 2015 she established Press Club Belarus which, in addition to delivering lectures and training, monitored Belarusian media outlets' compliance with journalistic standards and ethics. In 2020, Press Club Belarus established a formal training institution, the Press Club Academy.[1]