Maryna Serabrakova & Yauhen Yerchak

(Photojournalists from Belarus, JiR in 2023)

“We are freelance photojournalists from Minsk, Belarus. Before emigration we both collaborated with Belarusian and international media and covered the Belarusian protests in 2020. In June 2022, Yauhen was arrested for his journalistic activity and spent 15 days in jail. After that, we decided to leave Belarus, as living there became very unsafe. It was a good opportunity for us to participate in the JiR program.me Six months of living in peace, stability, and a safe environment is an invaluable help for people in our situation. The programme allowed us to have a rest and recover psychologically. Also we had the possibility to discover Germany (we both had been here before, but never for so long). Traveling and visiting many places in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria made it possible only because of permanent residence in Leipzig, and Deutschland Ticket, of course. We are very grateful to the ECPMF team for these opportunities, as well as their support and assistance.”