2023-12-05 11:22:40
The website “Tribuna.com Belarus” was recognized as an “extremist organization”. The name of the page appeared in the updated list on the department’s website.
The website by.tribuna.com, social networks and applications of Tribuna.com Belarus, as well as “a logo in the form of an artistic image of a five-pointed star made in different colors on a black background” are part of the “extremist formation”.
In addition, the association of former security forces BelPol, the YouTube channel 6TV Bielarus, “Mogilev Media” and “News of the Mogilev Region” were recognized as “extremist formations”. Well-known human rights defenders and journalists from Mogilev are named as the participants of the latter Zmytser Soloviev, Vladimir Laptsevich and Alexander Burakov.
Tribune’s audience exceeds a million people per month, another 4 million readers use the project’s website and mobile apps every month.
The “Tribune” website grew out of the goals.by project, it writes about Belarusian sports events. After 2020, the editors began to write more about the political component of Belarusian sports, about events that directly affected the changes. Journalists of the publication regularly criticize federations of various sports, showing examples of their political engagement and departure from the principle of “sport outside of politics” declared by the officials themselves.
Thanks to the activities of “Tribune”, Belarusian readers learned about numerous cases of politically motivated persecution of athletes in the country.
It also became known that the “Belarusian Council of Culture” telegram channel was recognized as “extremist”.
On December 4, the Baranovitsky district court recognized the “Belarusian Council of Culture” telegram channel as “extremist”. The channel has more than 700 subscribers.
Tribuna’s reaction to recognition as an “extremist formation”
The editors noted that “Tribune” has become another large independent media called by the regime “extremist formation” to complicate the work. “Mirror”, “Nasha Niva” and a number of others received this status earlier.
“The status of an “extremist formation” complicates work with sources, because the regime “court” can send any information to such a media outlet for up to 7 years in prison. In its work, Tribuna.сom never discloses the sources of insiders, and it is especially closely following this in recent years of persecution by the regime. For any attempt to financially help the “extremist formation”, the regime “court” can send you to prison for a term of up to 8 years. It should be noted that “Tribune” never appealed to the audience for data.
Also, from now on, any “Tribune” employee can be imprisoned for up to 10 years by the regime “court”. Despite this, the project team will continue its work in the previous format, covering all processes in Belarusian sports.”
In the near future, the editors will release detailed material on how to protect yourself when reading “Tribune”.
What you need to know about extremism in Belarus
On May 14, 2021, the law “On changing laws in matters of combating extremism” was signed, which entered into force on June 14. Earlier, the government submitted the project to the House of Representatives, it was adopted in the first reading on April 2, and in the second reading on April 16. Despite the fact that the changes affect the rights, freedoms and duties of citizens and legal entities, public discussions were not held.
More than 300 telegram resources are recognized as extremist in Belarus.
The Telegram channel can be recognized as both extremist material and extremist formation. If it has the status of “extremist organization”, its subscribers can also become involved in criminal cases. At the same time, subscribing to channels that are recognized as “extremist materials” is not punished – provided that the subscriber does not support the promotion of the channel: does not retweet, does not transfer money, does not pour information there.
The security forces distinguish between “materials” and “formations” as follows: “extremist materials” are what a person does, and “extremist formations” are those who do.
At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus notes that the creators, organizers and participants of extremist formations face imprisonment of up to 7 years.
The first extremist formations in Belarus were identified in mid-October – online resources dze. chat and “Work Movement”. Now there are dozens of them.
People can now be prosecuted for “extremism” in a number of directions.
Extremist materials — a court decision that is taken in relation to information.
An extremist group — a stable controlled group consisting of two or more persons who previously united to carry out extremist activities.
Extremist organization — an organization that carries out extremist activity, or that provides other assistance to extremist activity, or that recognizes the possibility of its implementation in its activities, or that finances extremist activity, in relation to which a court decision on recognizing it as extremist has been adopted and entered into legal force.
Extremist formation — a group of citizens that carries out extremist activity, or that provides other assistance to extremist activity, or that recognizes the possibility of its implementation in its activities, or that finances extremist activity, in relation to which the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the State Security Committee to recognize it as extremist has been made .
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