Affiliated media: “Binokl. A Magazine about Brest”, VKontakte community

Incident date: December 12, 2025

Attack type:

• Selective application of repressive laws

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Brest

Additional information:

According to a decision of the Leninsky District Court of Brest, a community on the social network VKontakte called “Binokl. A Magazine about Brest” (identifier: vk.com/binklby) has been recognised as “extremist informational material”. Binokl was launched in Brest in 2016. The online magazine covered urban civic initiatives and interesting local facts. In January 2021, law enforcement officers conducted a search of the editorial office and seized documents and computers. The search was reportedly carried out as part of a case concerning alleged tax evasion. Several months later, law enforcement officers searched the homes of editorial staff. Since then, the city magazine has ceased operations, and content on the outlet’s social media accounts has not been updated.