Lithuania awards Hope of Freedom Prize to Belarusian journalists 27 Protests in Belarus / AP Five Belarusian reporters have been awarded the Hope of Freedom Prize from Lithuania for their tough work during the anti-government protests in the neighbouring country, the Lithuanian Union of Journalists said in a press release. Ekaterina Borisevich and Elena Tolkachova, who work for the independent news website Tut.by, Tatiana Korenkova of BelaPAN, and Ekaterina Andreeva and Darya Chulcova from the Warsaw-based TV channel Belsat will receive 1,000-euro prizes established by the Lithuanian Union of Journalists and the Lithuanian Journalists’ Society. “This prize is a symbol of solidarity, a sign of respect for our colleagues who are persecuted for professionally carrying out their work, undertaking the main duty of a journalist – upholding the public right to receive impartial, independent information,” the press release quoted Vaiva Žukienė who chaired the commission awarding the prize.