Yury Koziyatko (Russian: Юрий Васильевич Козиятко, Belarusian: Юры Казіятка, born April 24, 1964, in Brest, Belarus) is a Belarusian politician, TV presenter and propagandist. He has been accused of propaganda supporting and justifying human rights violations in Belarus and included in a sanctions list of the European Union in 2011-2016.
Yury Vasilyevich Koziyatko | |
|---|---|
| Юрий Васильевич Козиятко | |
| Chairman of Capital TV | |
| In office 2005–s | |
| President | Alexander Lukashenko |
| Preceded by | Alexander Zimovsky |
| Member of the Council of the Republic of Belarus | |
| Assumed office 2012 | |
| President | Alexander Lukashenko |
| Chairman of ONT | |
| In office 2003–2005 | |
| President | Alexander Lukashenko |
Biography
editEarly years and education
editYury Koziyatko born on April 24, 1964, in Brest. He graduated from the Kurgan Higher Military-Political Aviation School in Kurgan, Russia. During his service at the Soviet Army, he worked as a military journalist in a newspaper of the Soviet Pacific Fleet and as a TV host in Vladivostok, Russia.[1]
Career
editBelarusian Association of Journalists refers to Koziyatko as 'the third main propagandist in Belarus' after Yury Azarenok and Alexander Zimovsky.[2]
In the early 1990s Koziyatko quit the Russian Army and returned to Belarus. He first worked for a Belarusian military TV production company, in 1996 he switched to the main state-owned TV channel Belarus-1 where he became a political commentator and hosted two shows, "Topic of the Day", and "Panorama Saturday".[2][3]
In 2003, he became Chairman at the state-owned TV channel ONT. In 2004, he released a 12-series documentary 'Noveyshaya Istoriya' ('Recent History') where he supported and justified all Lukashenko's actions. The film enjoyed state support and was shown at screenings organised by ideological state officials, which were compulsory for employees of state owned enterprises to attend.[2] In December 2005, Koziyatko was appointed Chairman at a different state-owned TV channel, Capital TV.[4][1]
In 2012, Koziyatko was appointed member of the upper chamber of the Parliament of Belarus.[1]
In September 2016, Koziyatko was awarded the Order of Honour.[5]
In February 2018, he was dismissed from Capital TV and appointed deputy director of the "Minsk-Novosti" agency.[6][7] From "Minsk-Novosti", Koziyatko was dismissed in 2018.[2]
He has been a blogger since 2022, running his 'Picture of the World' channel. The blog is dedicated to Belarus and covers its history, landmarks and places of interest.[8] However, as noted by BAJ, the channel has only about 1700 followers.[2]
Accusations, EU sanctions
editIn 2011, after the wave of repressions that followed the 2010 presidential election, Yury Koziyatko and several other top managers and employees of major state media became subject to an EU travel ban and asset freeze as part of a sanctions list of 208 individuals responsible for political repressions, electoral fraud and propaganda in Belarus.[9][10] The sanctions were lifted in 2016.
According to the EU Council's decision,[11] Koziyatko's TV show was described as "an instrument of state propaganda which supports and justifies the repression of the democratic opposition and of civil society. Democratic opposition and civil society are systematically highlighted in a negative and derogatory way using falsified information. He was particularly active in this regard after the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations on 19 December 2010 and on subsequent protests.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Козиятко Юрий Васильевич" (in Russian). The Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b c d e "Годами врали с экранов, а потом оказались не нужны начальству. Рассказываем о судьбах четырех заметных пропагандистов из 90‑х" [For years they lied from the screens, and then turned out to be of no use to their bosses. We tell you about the fates of four prominent propagandists from the 90s] (in Russian). BAJ. 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "«Однажды в Бресте». Юрий Козиятко" ['Once upon a time in Brest' Yury Koziyatko] (in Russian). Vecherny Brest. 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Yury Koziyatko's profile at the Official website of the Council of the Republic of Belarus" (in Russian). Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Лукашенко удостоил госнаград членов Совета Республики и представителей различных сфер деятельности" [Lukashenko presented state awards] (in Russian). Belta. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Бывший гендиректор СТВ назначен заместителем директора агентства «Минск-Новости»" [Former general director of STV appointed deputy director of Minsk-Novosti agency] (in Russian). Politring Belarus. 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Генеральным директором агентства «Минск-Новости» назначен Юрий Козиятко" [Yury Koziyatko was appointed Director General of the Minsk-Novosti agency] (in Russian). Minsk News. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Чем занимается бывший сенатор и телеведущий Юрий Козиятко: путешествует по Беларуси и выкладывает видеоролики о жизни белорусской глубинки" [What does former senator and TV presenter Yuri Koziyatko do? Travels around Belarus and videos about life in the Belarusian countryside] (in Russian). Komsomolskaya Pravda. 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Поўны спіс 208 беларускіх чыноўнікаў, якім забаронены ўезд у ЕС - Nasha Niva, 11.10.2011
- ^ "Consolidated list of financial sanctions targets" (PDF). Gov UK. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP of 15 October 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Belarus