Скриншот сайта bbc.com
The BBC press office has issued a statement in response to the inclusion of the Russian service website in Belarus’s list of “extremist” materials.
“We reject this move by the Belarusian authorities, which is designed to criminalise our independent journalism. We are deeply concerned about the consequences that adding the BBC Russian Service to the list of extremist materials may have for the hundreds of thousands of people in Belarus who turn to the BBC every week for the reliable and impartial information they so badly need. The BBC is the world’s most trusted source of international news, and we remain committed to our audience in Belarus”, the corporation stressed.
It was reported several days ago that the Belarusian Information Ministry had added bbc.com to the list of extremist materials on the basis of a decision by the Leninski District Court of Mahilyow.
“Information product: Internet site entitled BBC NEWS Russian Service with the identifier https://bbc.com”, the list states.
At the same time, it remains unclear whether the decision applies to all of the corporation’s content or specifically to materials produced by the BBC Russian Service.
Head of the legal centre of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Aleh Aheyeu explained that both content from the Russian Service and the entire bbc.com website could fall under administrative liability. The human rights centre Viasna also pointed out that because the Russian Service is located at bbc.com/russian, including bbc.com in the list effectively means designating the entire BBC website as extremist.
Accusations of extremism in Belarus are widely used against opponents and dissent in general.