{"id":195128,"date":"2026-07-10T09:55:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/195128\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:55:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:55:46","slug":"silencing-the-press-how-belarus-lost-critical-feedback-loop","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/195128\/","title":{"rendered":"Silencing the press: how Belarus lost critical feedback loop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Belarusian media have never been genuinely free\u2014not before Soviet rule, not under it and not after the country’s independence. Despite persistent government pressure, independent media enjoyed rising public trust and rapidly growing audiences by early 2020. That changed dramatically after the disputed presidential election.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n (Belarusian leader's website, Colin Behrens , Vilius Kukanauskas (pixabay.com) \/ Pozirk's collage)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The authorities blamed independent media for helping fuel the mass peaceful protests against alleged election fraud and launched an unprecedented crackdown. Most independent media outlets were branded “extremist” organizations or groups, forcing hundreds of journalists into exile. Dozens of reporters and media executives have since been imprisoned. While many independent outlets continue operating from abroad, their reach has been severely limited by government restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editorial offices, journalists and audiences targeted<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The authoritarian governments of Belarus, Iran, North Korea and Russia have all managed to restrict public access to independent media despite the inherent difficulty of controlling the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Belarus, the crackdown targeted editorial offices, individual journalists, influencers and the audiences consuming independent media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newsrooms were raided, shut down and designated as “extremist” organizations or formations, while editors and journalists were arrested. Since 2020, the authorities have labeled 61 media outlets as “extremist organizations” or “extremist formations,” including leading publications such as tut.by, BelaPAN and Na\u0161a Niva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dozens of media professionals were jailed. Two years ago, Belarus held more than 40 journalists behind bars, making it the world’s leading jailer of journalists per capita. More than 20 journalists remain imprisoned, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dozens of exiled Belarusian journalists also face criminal charges and risk immediate arrest and imprisonment if they return to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has also introduced the designation of “extremist content,” allowing it to punish ordinary users for subscribing to or sharing content from independent media outlets and social media accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Law enforcement officers routinely inspect people’s mobile phones to check which channels and accounts they follow. Those found to possess or share links to banned media or social media accounts face fines or up to 15 days in jail under Article 19.11 of the Administrative Offenses Code. Ironically, this provision does not apply to those who produce the banned content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some detainees have been forced to confess on camera to following “extremist” content, with the videos later published on pro-government Telegram channels to intimidate the public. Journalists from state television have participated in recording these forced confessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official list of “extremist content” now contains thousands of entries, making it virtually impossible for ordinary people to keep track of prohibited materials or remove all banned content from their devices.<\/p>\n\n\n