Former Tut.by journalists launch new media outlet — Zerkalo.io

In the aftermath of Tut.by — Belarus’s most prominent independent news outlet — suspending its operations due to pressure from the authorities, its former editorial staff have announced the launch of a new media outlet: Zerkalo.io.

Zerkalo.io will take over Tut.by’s social media accounts, which are still run by the publication’s former social media team. Tut.by also underscored in its announcement that the new media outlet is essentially a placeholder.

“Zerkalo.io will end its existence on the day when Tut.by can legally resume its full-fledged work in Belarus with its entire archive of publications. When this will happen, we don’t know. But we believe [it will]. And as long as you are with us, we will continue.”

• The Belarusian authorities blocked Tut.by’s website on May 18 and froze its company bank accounts. They also launched a felony tax fraud case against the media outlet’s leadership. In mid-June, the Belarusian Interior Ministry asked the courts to blacklist the outlet’s “media products” and social media content as “extremist.”
• On June 28, Tut.by took down its social media archive from the last 18 months to protect its readers and staff ahead of the impending “extremism” designation.
• Zerkalo.io’s launch was announced on the same day that the Belarusian Information Ministry blocked another major news website — Nasha Niva. Like Tut.by’s journalists, reporters from Nasha Niva actively covered the opposition protests that followed the 2020 presidential election in Belarus.