Affiliated media: “Narodnyya Naviny Vitebska”, Website, YouTube-channel, Social media account

Incident date: January 10, 2025

Attack type:

• Selective application of repressive laws

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Vitebsk

Additional information:

The Oktyabrsky District Court of Vitebsk has designated the regional website “Narodnyya Naviny Vitebska” (vitebsk.cc and viciebsk.cc) as extremist informational material. The YouTube channel and social media pages on VKontakte and Facebook affiliated with this outlet were also designated as extremist. “Narodnyya Naviny Vitebska” was one of the oldest independent media resources in the region, operating for over 17 years. On 13 January, following the court’s decision, the Ministry of Information of Belarus added these online resources to the Republican List of Extremist Materials. On the same day, the editorial team was forced to close the pages and cease operations. Under Belarusian law, the distribution and storage of materials deemed extremist entail administrative liability for both publishers and users.