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Belarus puts Current Time on the list of extremist organizations

Politiko 2024-01-11 20:38:17

Belarus puts Current Time on the list of extremist organizations

In the wake of the crackdown on independent media and civil society, the Belarusian authorities have added Current Time to the register of extremist organizations.

Current Time is a Russian-language network run by Radio Free Europe in cooperation with Voice of America.

The Belarusian Information Ministry said on January 11 that the decision was made last week by a court in the northeastern city of Vistsebsk. The decision applies to Current Time's website, related projects and social media accounts, such as its channel on the Telegram platform.

Current Time broadcasts daily news in Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

In December 2021, the Belarusian Ministry of Information also recognized the Belarusian Service of REL, which in the local language is known as Radio Svaboda, as an extremist organization.

Under Belarusian law, people who subscribe to the websites of organizations officially designated as extremist can be prosecuted and face up to 6 years in prison.

Authorities in Belarus have declared hundreds of channels on Telegram and other social platforms as "extremist" since the country was gripped by protests following the August 2020 presidential election, which gave authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term in office. .

In response to the protests, the Government has harshly suppressed pro-democracy movements, arrested thousands of people and forced key opposition figures to leave the country. There have also been credible reports that authorities have mistreated protesters and several people have died.

Dozens of news agency websites have been shut down in Belarus.

Lukashenka, who has ruled the country since 1994, has denied that the presidential election was rigged and has refused to negotiate with the opposition - which has claimed victory in the election - on holding new elections.

The West refuses to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and has imposed a series of sanctions on the Government and other officials accusing them of aiding and abetting the suppression of dissent./rel

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