After ban in Moscow

Minsk bans Deutsche Welle program

The Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko

(Bild: AFP/Alexander NEMENOV)

The authoritarian leadership of Belarus has banned the Belarusian program of Deutsche Welle (DW), according to the broadcaster. The Ministry of the Interior in Minsk has classified the offshoot DW Belarus as an extremist organization, the German foreign broadcaster announced in Bonn. This means that the content of DW Belarus on the Internet and the channels of the Russian DW editorial office in social networks are banned in the former Soviet republic.

Any cooperation with Deutsche Welle in Belarus could now be considered a criminal offense. Anyone who passes on information to the editorial team could face several years in prison.

According to reports, the Belarusian Ministry of the Interior justifies the ban by stating that DW Belarus endangers the country's sovereignty and public security. The Director General of Deutsche Welle, Peter Limbourg, condemned the decision and called the accusations flimsy.

"This decision shows us one thing above all: the regime in Belarus fears independent media and is doing everything it can to deny the people of Belarus access to free information," he said. For DW, the ban is a call to work even harder to ensure that people have access to free information.

The broadcaster pointed out that despite the ban, DW's Belarusian offerings could still be accessed via YouTube and Telegram. DW Russian's offerings can be accessed via Facebook, Instagram and X. Head of state Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus by dictatorial means for almost 30 years. He is considered the closest ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - Deutsche Welle was banned there two years ago.