January 06, 2025

Belarus Bans Emigrant Connections


Belarus Bans Emigrant Connections
The seat of Belarusian government, Minsk. The Russian Life files.

The Belarusian Ministry of Information has declared the content of multiple Telegram chat groups "extremist material." The chats involved Belarusian emigrants living in Warsaw.

The largest chat group, "Belarusians of Warsaw," has 2,100 users. Most others have less than a thousand. The groups use Telegram, a popular social media app among Eastern European users, to connect with their countrymen.

The declaration of the content of these channels as "extremist" implies that the groups expressed sentiments that were not supportive of Belarus and its close relationship with Russia, especially in light of Russia's War on Ukraine.

Further, the move comes as Belarus and Russia continue to repress dissent at near-unprecedented levels. According to CurrentTime.tv, a pro-democracy news outlet, Belarus's list of "extremist" content stretches to 14,000 pages.

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