Belarus Designates Euronews Website as “Extremist” Media

On 4 August 2026, the Horki District Court in the Mogilev Region ordered the addition of Euronews’ website to Belarus’s “Republican List of Extremist Materials.” The ruling mandates immediate execution under Article 302 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the Republic of Belarus. Access to the site is now restricted, and individuals who store or distribute its content may face administrative penalties.

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Euronews has been a primary European news source for Belarusian audiences for many years. Its television broadcast was previously removed from Belarusian airwaves in 2021 following a legal procedural decision. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow also blocked Euronews’ television and digital services, aligning Belarus’s media restrictions with those of its ally.

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Euronews editorial director Claus Strunz said the outlet had not been notified of the court decision and was awaiting justification from the authorities. He affirmed the channel’s commitment to continue providing “factual, independent journalism” for its Belarusian audience. The Belarusian Ministry of Information announced the designation but has not publicly explained the reasoning behind labeling the website “extremist.” The independent Belarusian Association of Journalists suggested the move aims to limit access to external sources of information.

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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader, condemned the measure as a “shameful” attempt by President Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s regime to cut Belarusians off from factual reporting.

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• “A state that brands Euronews as ‘extremist’ and blocks access to independent, impartial journalism reveals its own fear of free reporting,” — Claus Strunz, euronews’ editorial director

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