Affiliated media: YouTube-channel "MozgON", YouTube-channel

Incident date: April 1, 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 recognised the YouTube channel “MozgON” (identifier: youtube.com/@MozgON) as extremist informational material. The creator of the resource is political prisoner and blogger Vladimir Tsyganovich. In December 2021, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on politically motivated charges (Part 1 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus); he was later given an additional year for alleged disobedience to the prison administration. On the basis of the court’s decision, the Belarusian Ministry of Information added the YouTube channel “MozgON” to the Republican List of Extremist Materials. Under Belarusian law, the distribution and storage of materials deemed extremist entail administrative liability for both publishers and users.