TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities on Monday declared that the Belarusian service of the German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle is an “extremist” organization and banned all its activities in the country.
The declaration means anyone working with Deutsche Welle producing content for the Belarusian service potentially faces a seven-year prison sentence. Anyone who reads and reposts articles by Deutsche Welle could be found guilty of an administrative or criminal offense.
Peter Limbourg, Deutsche Welle’s director general, criticized the decision, saying the accusations are “unfounded” and do not reflect the true nature of the Belarusian service’s work.
Belarusian authorities have already named 199 organizations as “extremist” and they use the label to suppress dissent in the country. The list includes the Belarusian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the independent Belarusian TV channel Belsat, broadcasting in the Belarusian language from the Polish capital Warsaw.
A third of foreign students seeking to stay in the UK are at just SIX institutions, figures show
Art contributes to rural development of village in China's Inner Mongolia
New building of museum at Shang Dynasty capital site to open this month
Culture Fact: Things you must know about Nauru
Dead infant found at Florida university campus; police investigating
Annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival held in New York City
2024 Chang'an Light Show starts in Xi'an
English Premier League takes another step toward introducing a spending cap
Article 20 still leads China's box office chart
Pakistani FM Ishaq Dar designated deputy PM
People visit lantern show ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year in Malaysia