Michał Kość

Affiliated media: Photo journalist

Incident date: July 8, 2025

Attack type:

• Selective application of repressive laws

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Pukhovichi

Additional information:

The Pukhavichy District Court of the Minsk Region has recognised the Instagram account “michalkosc” (identifier: instagram.com/p/DDDZ8sIoi5n/?img_index=1) as extremist informational material. The account belongs to the Polish photographer Michał Kość. Michał Kość is a photographer for the Polish photo agency FORUM. His page featured photographs from Belarusian solidarity protests in Poland, from the Polish–Belarusian border, and a portrait of the political prisoner Ales Bialiatski. On the basis of the court’s decision, the Ministry of Information of Belarus added the internet resource to the Republican List of Extremist Materials. Under Belarusian law, the distribution and storage of materials recognised as extremist entails administrative liability for both publishers and users.