On July 4, a new trial begins in Gomla in the case of Belsat channel journalist

Ekaterina Andreeva (Bakhvalova)

.

It will be held in closed mode.

Even her relatives do not know exactly what Andreeva is accused of, the lawyer gave a non-disclosure agreement for the materials of the new case.

As Kateryna's husband, journalist

Ihar Illyash, told,

the investigation into her case ended in April and the materials were immediately handed over to the prosecutor's office and then to the court.

It is not known why the process dragged on until the beginning of July.

New charges have been brought under the article "Treason to the state", Kateryna faces from 7 to 15 years of imprisonment.

She has been behind bars since November 2020.

The first term of imprisonment ends in September 2022.

"Belsat"

operator Daria Chultsova

, who was detained and tried together with Bakhlova, no new charges were brought, she is serving her term in the Goml women's colony on Antoshkina Street.

After the start of a new investigation in February 2022, Ekaterina Andreeva was transferred to Gomel pre-trial detention center-3, where she remains until now.

According to relatives, she has very limited correspondence — letters and messages only come from her closest relatives.

Who is Kateryna Andreeva, who was accused of treason

A female journalist

Kateryna Andreeva (Bakhvalova) was born on November 2, 1993 in an intelligent family.

Her great-grandfather David Pinhasik was a famous journalist, her great-grandmother Maria Vaganova was the first editor-in-chief of "Poleska Pravda" in Western Belarus in 1939.

Alla Vaganova's grandmother is an associate professor of the Department of Archeology of BSU.

Grandfather Siarhei Vaganov is a famous journalist, publicist, poet.

The journalist's parents are philologists.

Ekaterina Andreeva

He knows several foreign languages

Ekaterina graduated from the Belarusian-language gymnasium No. 23. While still at school, she showed an ability to learn foreign languages.

She worked with tutors, mastered English perfectly, after high school she entered Minsk State Linguistic University at the Spanish language faculty.

In 2013, she went to Spain as part of the volunteer program of the European Commission, where she taught English.

Received a prize already for the first article

The idea of ​​becoming a journalist, as Kateryna's grandfather Siarhei Vaganov recalls, came to her when she was returning home from Europe.

While hitchhiking home, she wrote the article "Polyanese at the station", which was published in "Nasha Niva" and for which she became a laureate of the "People's Reporter" award.

Collaborated with Narodnaya Volya, Nasha Niva, Radio Svaboda.

Ekaterina Andreeva is detained during the stream from Kurapaty.

June 6, 2018

The first meeting with the future husband took place at the polling station

Kateryna Andreeva met her future husband, journalist Ihor Ilyash, at work - they both covered Mykola Statkevich's protest.

The 2015 election was the first political campaign in Kateryna's career.

The first meeting took place at the polling station - at gymnasium No. 23, where Katya once studied and where they were almost arrested.

On December 10, 2016, young people got married.

Kateryna Andreeva with her husband Igor Ilyash

Conducted live broadcasts of significant Belarusian events

Since 2017, Ekaterina has been working with the Belsat TV channel.

The first streams were conducted from "promotions of non-empty eaters".

Katya was detained for the first time in April 2017 in Vorsha and tried for allegedly "disobeying the police and violating the law on media".

Then she was fined.

In September 2020, Andreeva was detained by riot police for live broadcasting from the women's march in Minsk, then she was held captive for 3 days.

She wrote a book together with her husband

In 2020, together with her husband Igor Ilyash, Ekaterina published the book "Belarusian Donbass" about Belarusians who participated in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The book reflects the results of a long-term journalistic investigation.

The journalists found out, among other things, how Belarusian services and state-owned enterprises participate in the war on the side of the separatists.

In 2021, the book was recognized as extremist.

Sentenced to 2 years in prison for streaming from "Peramen Square"

On November 15, 2020, Ekaterina, together with her colleague Darya Chultsova, was detained in a high-rise building on "Peramen Square", from where they were streaming the action in memory of Roman Bandarenka.

First, the girls received 7 days of administrative arrest each.

After they were accused according to Art.

342 of the Criminal Code ("Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them").

They were placed in pre-trial detention center No. 1 ("Voladarka").

Kateryna Andreeva (right) and Daria Chultsova in court on February 18

On February 18, 2021, the court of the Frunzen district of Minsk (judge Natalia Buguk, public prosecutor Alina Kasyanchyk, investigator Igor Kurylovich) sentenced Andreyeva and Chultsova to 2 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.

Kateryna Andreeva did not respond to Yuriy Vaskrasensky's proposal to write a request for pardon in the name of Lukashenka.

Received the status of "prone to extremism" in the colony

In March 2021, in Zhodzin prison, Ekaterina Andreeva received the status of "prone to extremism and other destructive actions" for refusing to admit her guilt before the prison commission and was taken under special control. call the supervisor your article and report on preventive accounting.

There is a certain place in the cell where she must remain when the warden enters.

Also, a person with this status is periodically called for preventive interviews.

From the colony, she was again sent to the pre-trial detention center

She served her sentence in the women's colony of Goml, worked at a sewing factory.

She learned a new profession as a seamstress, sewed knitwear, elements of uniforms for cadets of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Letters to Kateryna come only from relatives.

Igor's husband was on a date in the Gomel colony at the beginning of February.

He says that, judging by the letters, she behaves well and decently.

"My task is to save my soul from decay and not allow the zone to penetrate me.

Not to become a part of the ugly [prison world], but to make a little more wonderful space around us," said Kateryna Andreeva during a meeting with her husband in the Gomel colony.

On February 10, 2022, it became known that Katya was transferred from Gomel correctional colony No. 4 to Gomel pre-trial detention center No. 3. Nothing was reported about the reasons.

On April 7, Igor Ilyash's husband said that Kateryna was charged with treason (Part 1, Article 356 of the Criminal Code).

The investigation took place in conditions of complete secrecy - for 55 days after her transfer to the pre-trial detention center, the relatives did not know either the status of Katya or the articles according to which procedural actions are being carried out.

Winner of many prestigious awards

Ekaterina at the awarding ceremony of journalists - winners of the "Free Speech" competition, 2017

In 2021, Kateryna Andreeva, together with Daria Chultsova, became the laureate of a number of prestigious journalistic and human rights awards:

  • Awards named after Dariush Fikus;

  • "Pride of Journalism" named after Ales Lipai;

  • Axel-Springer-Preis(de);

  • "For courage in journalism";

  • Gerd Bucerius Prize "Free Press of Eastern Europe";

  • Prix ​​Europa(de).