Darya Chultsova (Belarusian: Дар’я Дзмітрыеўна Чульцова,[1] Russian: Дарья Дмитриевна Чульцова) (born on 20 February 1997, in Shklow, Mogilev Region, Belarus) is a journalist from Belarus. She worked for the television channelBelsat TV. She broadcast the event from the Square of Changes in Minsk where Raman Bandarenka was beaten to death in 2020. She was arrested on site on 15 November 2020.
She was born in Shklow. Being a little girl, she became interested in journalism. During the university years, she worked part-time for the website "Mogilev.Online". She graduated the Department of Journalism of Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University in 2020. In 2020, she moved to the TV channel Belsat TV and worked there as a journalist.[2]
Together with journalist Katsyaryna Andreeva, she became a suspect in a criminal case on organizing actions that attack public order.[3] On 15 November 2020, in Minsk, both broadcast the event of a cruel raid of the Militsiya and its affiliates at the Square of Changes, the place where Raman Bandarenka was beaten to death and the people peacefully stood to support the dead one there.[4][5]
At a Minsk court hearing led by the judge Natalia Buguk on 18 February 2021, Andreeva and Chultsova were sentenced to serve two years in prison for pushing 2020 Belarusian protests.[9][10] The public prosecutor was Alina Kasyanchyk, the investigator was Ihar Kurylovich.[11]
On 23 April 2021 Minsk City Court declined an appeal on the sentence.[12]
Following the sentencing, on 18 February 2021, President of PolandAndrzej Duda made a public call for amnesty for Chultsova and Andreeva.[15]
In accordance with the decision of the Council of the European Union on 21 June 2021, judge Natalia Buguk was included in the list of people and organizations sanctioned in relation to human rights violations in Belarus for, among other things, “numerous politically motivated rulings against journalists and protesters, in particular the sentencing of Katsyaryna Bakhvalava (Andreyeva) and Darya Chultsova” and violations of rights of defence and to a fair trial.[11] By the same decision, the Assistant Prosecutor at the Frunzyenski District Court of Minsk Alina Kasyanchyk was included in the sanctions list.[11] She was held responsible, among other things, for prosecuting journalists for “recording peaceful protests, based on the groundless charges of ‛conspiracy’ and ‛violating public order.’”[11] Senior investigator of the Frunzyenski District Department of the Investigative Committee Ihar Kurylovich was put on the list too for, among other things, preparing a politically motivated criminal case against the journalists who recorded peaceful protests.[11]
Along with Katsyaryna Andreeva on 10 June 2021, she received the Courage in Journalism Award, a prize by the International Women's Media Foundation.[22]
Along with Katsyaryna Andreeva on 29 July 2021, she was named the winner of the Preis für die Freiheit und Zukunft der Medien [de] (a Germanaward in the field of freedom of the press).[23][24]
Along with Katsyaryna Andreeva, Katsiaryna Barysevich, and others, on 12 August 2021, she received the Free Media Award.[25]
Along with Katsyaryna Andreeva on 15 October 2021, she received the Prix Europa in the category of the "European Journalist of 2021."[26][27]
"[They are] strong in spirit, have no doubt in the right [of them], supported by friends, colleagues and the people that they do not know at all – such Katya and Dasha will be put in textbooks," Aksana Kolb, editor-in-chief of Novy Chas, wrote on the eve of their sentencing.[29]