Belarus’ Crackdown on Media Continues

In the latest example of the Belarus authorities’ crackdown on independent media, three journalists are on trial in the capital Minsk on charges which include the supposed creation of extremist groups.

The defendants, all employees of the banned news agency BelaPAN are also accused of tax avoidance and high treason.

The trial of BelaPAN's former director, Dzmitry Navazhylau, his ex-deputy, Andrey Alyaksandrau and editor-in-chief Iryna Leushyna began on June 6 in a closed session at the Minsk Regional Court. Alyaksandrau’s girlfriend, Iryna Zlobina, is also on trial although she is not a reporter. They all reject the charges.

Arbitrary interpretations of “extremism” and “extremist materials” are frequently used by the Belarusian authorities to jail opponents and even news consumers. 

Under a law approved on October 12, 2021, Belarusians subscribing to banned media outlets on social media are themselves defined as “extremist”. The country’s main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GUBOP) stated that the decree “holds subscribers of extremist Telegram channels and chats criminally liable as members of an extremist group”. People face administrative arrests for sharing links to “extremists” tests or posting images with the watermark of banned channels. They could face up to seven years in prison. 

Authorities have labelled over 100 Telegram channels extremist as part of its repression. 

The government’s campaign against any dissenting voice has resulted in the liquidation of independent media outlets and a massive wave of immigration of opposition leaders and journalists. Some outlets are run from abroad, like NEXTA, which is based in Poland and whose Telegram channel NEXTA Live has over 800,000 subscribers in a country of 9.5 million.

Authorities also banned TUT.BY, one of Belarus’ most popular news media, and the outlet launched an alternative service, Zerkalo.io, which was also declared extremist in summer 2021. As of May 2022, Zerkalo continues to operate. 

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders ranks Belarus Europe’s most dangerous country for journalists. 

“To silence independent journalists, the authorities have used censorship, violence and mass arrests, they have conducted coordinated raids on homes and media offices, and they disbanded the Association of Belarusian Journalists (BAJ),” the organisation stated as it ranked Belarus 158 out of 180 countries.