# Belarus jails journalist Pavel Sheremet over his reporting for Russian television station ORT

Published 2026-09-26. Last reviewed 2026-09-26. 2 sources.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-26.

In 1997, Belarusian authorities under President Alexander Lukashenko jailed journalist Pavel Sheremet for three months in connection with his reporting for the Russian television station ORT. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the same authorities also banned Sheremet from reporting at one point and forbade him from traveling to the West for a year.[1]

- Country: [Belarus](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/by) (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)
- Where: BY
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Detention and violence
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence#stage-punish)
- Head of government at the time: [Alexander Lukashenko](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/alexander-lukashenko)
- Issue of the day: Sheremet's reporting on Belarus for ORT was often critical of authorities under President Alexander Lukashenko.
- Outcome: Sustained. Belarusian authorities later stripped Sheremet of his Belarusian citizenship in 2010, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
- Era: The 1990s

## What happened

Pavel Sheremet worked as a bureau chief for the Russian television station ORT, whose coverage was often critical of authorities, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. He had earlier edited the independent newspaper Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta in his native Belarus. In 1997, Belarusian authorities jailed Sheremet for three months in connection with his reporting for ORT. The Committee to Protect Journalists, a press freedom organization, said the same authorities also banned Sheremet from reporting at one point and forbade him from traveling to the West for a year. In 1998, the organization named Sheremet a CPJ International Press Freedom awardee; for weeks, he and CPJ pressed authorities in Belarus for an exit visa, without which he could not leave Minsk to travel to the award ceremony in the United States. Belarusian authorities later stripped Sheremet of his citizenship in 2010.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

## What reason was given

The Committee to Protect Journalists said Sheremet's imprisonment came over investigative journalism he had done for the Russian television channel ORT.[4]

## What changed for reporting

Belarusian authorities banned Sheremet from reporting at one point and forbade him from traveling to the West for a year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.[2][3][5]

## Timeline

- 1997: Belarus jails journalist Pavel Sheremet over his reporting for Russian television station ORT

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Alexander Lukashenko](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/alexander-lukashenko) | enforced | President of Belarus |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [ORT](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/ort) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Remembering Pavel Sheremet, IPFA honoree, friend to CPJ, and hard-nosed journalist. https://cpj.org/2016/07/remembering-pavel-sheremet-ipfa-honoree-friend-to/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07).
2. Journalist killed in Ukraine car bombing. https://cpj.org/2016/07/journalist-killed-in-ukraine-car-bombing/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07).

## Claims cited

[1] CPJ reported that in 1997, Belarusian authorities jailed Sheremet for three months in connection with his reporting, and stripped him of his citizenship in 2010. Quote: "In 1997, Belarussian authorities jailed him for three months in connection to his reporting, and stripped him of his citizenship in 2010." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Journalist killed in Ukraine car bombing. https://cpj.org/2016/07/journalist-killed-in-ukraine-car-bombing/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/765, checked 2026-09-26.

[2] Sheremet worked as a bureau chief for the Russian television station ORT, which was often critical of authorities. Quote: "He had also worked as a bureau chief for the now defunct Russian television station ORT, which was often critical of authorities." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Journalist killed in Ukraine car bombing. https://cpj.org/2016/07/journalist-killed-in-ukraine-car-bombing/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/766, checked 2026-09-26.

[3] Sheremet was originally from Belarus, where he had edited the independent newspaper Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta. Quote: "Sheremet was originally from Belarus, where he edited independent newspaper Belarusskaya Delovaya Gazeta" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Journalist killed in Ukraine car bombing. https://cpj.org/2016/07/journalist-killed-in-ukraine-car-bombing/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/767, checked 2026-09-26.

[4] CPJ said the same Belarusian authorities had imprisoned Sheremet over investigative journalism he had done for the Russian television channel ORT. Quote: "the same authorities who had imprisoned him for two months in retaliation for some of the tough investigative journalism he did for the Russian television channel ORT." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Remembering Pavel Sheremet, IPFA honoree, friend to CPJ, and hard-nosed journalist. https://cpj.org/2016/07/remembering-pavel-sheremet-ipfa-honoree-friend-to/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/768, checked 2026-09-26.

[5] CPJ said the same Belarusian authorities also banned Sheremet from reporting at one point and forbade him from traveling to the West for a year. Quote: "The same authorities, as CPJ documented at the time, also banned him from reporting at one point, and even forbade him to travel to the West for a year." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Remembering Pavel Sheremet, IPFA honoree, friend to CPJ, and hard-nosed journalist. https://cpj.org/2016/07/remembering-pavel-sheremet-ipfa-honoree-friend-to/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/769, checked 2026-09-26.

[6] Pavel Sheremet was named a CPJ International Press Freedom awardee in 1998. Quote: "Pavel Sheremet, who died yesterday when a bomb blew up the car he was driving in Kiev, was a CPJ International Press Freedom awardee in 1998." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Remembering Pavel Sheremet, IPFA honoree, friend to CPJ, and hard-nosed journalist. https://cpj.org/2016/07/remembering-pavel-sheremet-ipfa-honoree-friend-to/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/770, checked 2026-09-26.

[7] For weeks, Sheremet and CPJ pressed authorities in Belarus for an exit visa, without which he could not leave Minsk to travel to the United States for the award ceremony. Quote: "For weeks, he and CPJ had badgered authorities in his native Belarus for an exit visa, without which he could not leave Minsk to travel to the U.S." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2016-07. Remembering Pavel Sheremet, IPFA honoree, friend to CPJ, and hard-nosed journalist. https://cpj.org/2016/07/remembering-pavel-sheremet-ipfa-honoree-friend-to/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/771, checked 2026-09-26.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1997-by-sheremet-imprisoned-for-ort-reporting. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.