Grushevsky raised the issue of illegal Western sanctions against Belarusian journalists at UNESCO

Some Western states practice unilateral coercive measures, the victims of which – as practice shows – are primarily the most vulnerable segments of the population, including in countries not directly affected by such measures – as stated by Deputy Permanent Representative of Belarus to UNESCO Kirill Grushevsky during his speech at the plenary meeting of the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference, in which the delegation of the Republic of Belarus took part. The General Conference is held once every two years and is the most important event in the UNESCO activities, making decisions on strategic issues.

The Belarusian diplomat expressed regret over the ongoing open politicisation of the activities of UN specialised agencies, among which UNESCO is no exception. He underlined that the topic of freedom of speech is also becoming a subject of political manipulation and one of the ways to combat alternative points of view. In this regard, Kirill Grushevsky recalled that several dozen representatives of the Belarusian state media are currently under Western sanctions for performing their professional duties.