Belarus declares Euronews “extremist” in response to critical reporting

Belarus’ decision to classify EU News as “extremist” is an act of revenge for its reporting on the country’s disputed 2020 election, political prisoners and Russia’s war against Ukraine, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Friday.

In an exclusive interview with EU News, Tsikhanouskaya said the move showed that Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s government remained afraid of independent information six years after the mass protests that followed the presidential election.

“It is revenge – revenge by the regime for EU News’ reporting,” she said.

“EU News covered the 2020 protests, it covered the election, which Lukashenka lost. It covered the stories of political prisoners and the war, which started from Belarus.”

Belarusian information ministry placed EU News’ website on its “Republican List of Extremist Materials,” according to Belarus-based media. The ruling is subject to immediate execution under Belarusian civil procedure rules.

The decision means access to the EU News website will now be restricted in Belarus, while readers could face administrative penalties for storing or distributing its content.

EU News’ television broadcast was already banned in Belarus in 2021.

Tsikhanouskaya noted called the decisions “hypocritical” given that Lukashenka himself gave an interview to EU News before.

“Now even watching them can be considered a crime in Belarus”.

She warned that the designation could turn viewing and sharing independent news into a pretext for repression.

“Watching EU News or reading the EU News website can land you in jail. Sharing EU News news can become a crime.”

The ruling gave the regime and its law enforcement agency KGB “another excuse to prosecute people who are simply looking for information”, Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that journalists, contributors and those assisting news organisations could also be at risk.

Her comments come ahead of the sixth anniversary of the August 2020 election, which was followed by an unprecedented wave of peaceful demonstrations against Lukashenka’s declared victory.

The opposition, the EU and many western governments rejected the result as fraudulent.

The authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown on protesters, activists, independent media and civil society.

Tsikhanouskaya said repression had become the operating principle of the state because the government feared that a relaxation could trigger another public uprising.

“If it stops, people will rise up again,” she said. “Constant, systemic repression has become the modus operandi of the entire system.”

She added that arrests continued daily and that the true scale of the crackdown remained unclear because many detainees were not publicly identified.

“Under such terror, visible protest is almost impossible. It has gone underground,” she said. “But I know that people haven’t given up. They are waiting and preparing for new momentum.”

The opposition leader, who lives in exile, argued that control of information was central to the government’s survival. Millions of Belarusians still follow independent outlets covertly, she said, using virtual private networks and other tools to bypass censorship.

“Independent media are the backbone of our movement,” Tsikhanouskaya said.

She stated that independent reporting had helped ensure that many Belarusians understood the reality of Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite official propaganda, and that most supported Ukraine.

But she warned that the state was adapting as quickly as citizens. “The KGB often uses tech platforms to track, identify, and prosecute opponents,” she said, adding that her team was working with companies including Meta and Alphabet to ensure their platforms were not used to facilitate persecution.

Tsikhanouskaya advised people in Belarus to make digital security a priority, including by using VPNs, keeping separate devices for accessing independent media and avoiding contact with unknown accounts that could be linked to security services.

She said Belarusians were also advised to regularly clear their phones, use pseudonyms online and avoid responding to unknown contacts, which could be attempts by the KGB to recruit or blackmail them. Some independent outlets use accounts that are not branded as “extremist”, she said, allowing audiences to continue accessing information under difficult conditions.

“Difficult conditions force us to be creative,” she said. “That is the only way to survive under a dictatorship.”

She said the “extremist” designation should not deter EU News from continuing its work.

“EU News can take this designation as a badge of honour,” Tsikhanouskaya said.

“Many decent people and organisations have been declared ‘extremist’ by the dictator. It means your work matters.”

Despite the crackdown, she urged Belarusians not to see the democratic movement as defeated.

“Our struggle has not ended. It has simply taken a different form,” she said. “It is no longer a sprint, but a marathon.”

Tsikhanouskaya said a strong Ukraine and a weakened Russia could create an opening for democratic change in Belarus, arguing that Lukashenka’s government depended on the Kremlin’s support.

“Without Russian support, Lukashenka’s regime will not survive,” she said. “That is why so many Belarusians hope for Ukraine’s victory.”

Tsikhanouskaya urged western partners to see Belarus “not only as a problem, but also as an opportunity”, arguing that democratic forces must be ready to seize any opening created by a shift in the regional balance of power.

“Dictatorships often collapse when no one expects it,” she said.

Belarusians wanted peaceful change through free elections, without violence, and a future in Europe rather than under Russian control, she said.

“A free, democratic and independent Belarus would make Europe much safer for everyone.”