Political prisoner journalist Andrei Aliaksandrau becomes laureate of Free Media Awards
Journalist and media manager Andrei Aliaksandrau, who is imprisoned in Belarus, has been chosen as a contender for the Free Media Awards for his courage and dedication to press freedom and freedom of expression amidst an increasingly repressive regime, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reports .
On September 4, 2026, the Fritt Ord and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS foundations announced the laureates of the Free Media Awards. Belarusian political prisoner Andrei Aliaksandrau was included in the list.
"Thanks to his work at the independent Belarusian news agency BelaPAN and the Belarusian Association of Journalists, he helped strengthen professional journalistic standards, support independent media, and build international networks of journalists and human rights defenders," noted the award's organizing committee.
Along with the Belarusian, the award will be received by Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigative journalism department at "Ukrainska Pravda", the Georgian publication iFact, the Yerevan TV channel Factor TV, and the independent Russian online publication "Vyorstka".
The Free Media Awards ceremony will take place at the Munch Museum in Oslo on September 29, 2026.
Who is Andrei Aliaksandrau
He was born in 1978 in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, to a military family, but lived in Pastavy, Vitsebsk region, from childhood. After school, he graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology at Polotsk State University, but eventually focused on journalism. He began his career at the Navapolatsk newspaper "Khimik" and rose to become deputy director of the BelaPAN news agency. From 2009 to 2012, he was on the board of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
He also gained international experience: he holds a Master's degree in Media Management from the University of Westminster in London and worked for human rights organizations Index on Censorship and Article 19. Despite good prospects abroad, he returned to Belarus, serving on the directorate of BelaPAN from 2015 to 2018, and then moved to a contract as a media consultant.
Andrei Aliaksandrau was arrested for his work in 2021. On October 6, 2022, Judge Viachaslau Tuleika of the Minsk Regional Court, in a closed session, sentenced the media manager to 14 years in prison and a fine equivalent to more than 10 thousand dollars. The journalist has been recognized as a political prisoner.
What are the Free Media Awards
The Free Media Awards is a German-Norwegian award for journalists in Eastern and Central Europe. It was founded by the Fritt Ord and ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius foundations. In many Eastern European countries, media outlets face significant pressure. With this award, the foundations aim to encourage journalists and media to continue their work and strengthen their resolve not to be intimidated by censorship and to resist self-censorship. Between three and six awards are presented annually to journalists and editorial teams who reinforce independent journalism and help society receive accurate information even under pressure and censorship.
In various years, the award has been received by Belarusian publications: "Brestski Kurier", "Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta" (Belarusian Business Newspaper), "Narodnaya Volya" (People's Will), "Belorusy i Rynok" (Belarusians and the Market), Intex-press, "Vitebski Kurier", "Salidarnasc" (Solidarity), "Nasha Niva", CDMag, "Gazeta Slonimskaya" (Slonim Newspaper), "Yezhednevnik" (Daily), "Novy Chas" (New Time), "Borisovskie Novosti" (Borisov News), "Belaruski Partyzan" (Belarusian Partisan), Reform, the BelaPAN news agency, the TUT.by portal, the Belarusian Investigative Center, the Belarusian Association of Journalists. Also, Belarusian journalists Sviatlana Kalinkina, Maryna Koktysh, Valer Karbalevich, Aliaksandr Klaskouski, Katsiaryna Barysevich, Katsiaryna Andreeva, Darya Chultsova, Natallia Lubneuskaya, and Larysa Shchyrakova have become laureates.
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