According to the statement of the prosecutor's office of the Leninsky district of Minsk, the news products of the Telegram channel "Novy Chas" are recognized as "extremist materials", the General Prosecutor's Office reported.

"Novy Chas" is one of the independent Belarusian newspapers that was published both on paper and in electronic form in the Belarusian language and was persecuted by the authorities.

On June 15, 2022, the editor-in-chief of the publication

Oksana Kolb

was sentenced to 2.5 years of "chemistry", she soon left Belarus, as it became known that the case may not end with the previous sentence.

Now "Novy Chas" has an active website and pages in social networks, including a Telegram channel, the informational products of which were included in the list of "extremist materials".

In 2021–2022, according to the statements of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the information products of 778 Telegram channels and other Internet resources were recognized as "extremist materials".

More than 300 Telegram channels and chat rooms were recognized as extremist formations.

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 formation", 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 makes, 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 by 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 material

    is a court decision that is made in relation to information.

  • An extremist group

    is a stable controlled group of two or more individuals who have 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 was made 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 on recognition has been made its extremist.