Belarus designates Euronews website as extremist media

Euronews has publicly denounced a recent decision by Belarusian authorities to label the broadcaster’s digital news coverage as “extremist.” The designation, issued without prior consultation or justification, classifies Euronews’ pan‑European content as illegal material under Belarusian law, thereby exposing the channel’s sizable audience in the country to potential criminal liability for “storing or distributing” the material.

The move follows a pattern of increasingly restrictive media measures in Belarus, where authorities have expanded the definition of extremist content and imposed harsher penalties on individuals who access or share such material. By extending the extremist label to an international news outlet, the government’s action threatens to limit the flow of independent information to Belarusian citizens and could result in fines or imprisonment for those found in possession of Euronews’ online reports. Euronews reiterated its commitment to journalistic standards and called for the reversal of the decision, emphasizing the importance of unrestricted access to news across Europe.