Minsk's decision to blacklist Euronews as an “extremist” outlet has triggered a wave of condemnation across Europe, with politicians and press freedom advocates warning that the move isolates Belarusian citizens from independent reporting.
Earlier this week, the Belarusian information ministry added Euronews's website to its “Republican List of Extremist Materials,” according to Belarus-based media. The ruling takes immediate effect under the country's civil procedure rules, meaning access to the site is now restricted and individuals could face administrative penalties for storing or sharing its content.
George Papandreou, former Greek prime minister and current General Rapporteur on Democracy for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said the regime's action was a sign of weakness, not strength. “Authoritarian regimes do not fear the media—they fear the media they cannot control,” he said. “They fear independent journalism because it empowers free citizens with facts instead of propaganda.”
European solidarity with Euronews
Wolfgang Kubicki, leader of the German Liberals and former vice president of the Bundestag, said the move came as no surprise given the lack of freedom in Belarus, but called it a “bitter blow” for Belarusian civil society, which loses a vital independent source of information.
Cypriot MEP and journalist Loucas Fourlas expressed solidarity with Euronews and its staff, stressing that the ban is “yet another blow to press freedom and the free flow of information.” He noted his role on the European Parliament's committees on civil liberties and culture and education.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German parliament and the German Council on Foreign Relations, pointed to the pattern of blocking free media, first in Russia and now in Belarus. “Euronews must continue to be a symbol of media freedom and must not allow itself to be intimidated,” he said.
Greek MEP Yannis Maniatis called the decision “unacceptable” and urged the European Union to stand firmly with journalists and democratic forces in Belarus. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) also condemned the ban as a fresh attempt to curb press freedom and restrict citizens' right to information.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty noted that President Aliaksandr Lukashenka gave interviews to Euronews four times between 2009 and 2014 and once told the OSCE that “every citizen here watches Euronews.” Exiled Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova wrote on X: “When a dictatorship calls journalism 'extremism,' it's admitting the truth is its greatest threat.”
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya described the ban as “shameful,” saying it turns viewers into targets of repression. She urged the broadcaster to “stay strong,” adding: “your work matters.”
Euronews's editorial director, Claus Strunz, said the outlet had not been formally notified and was awaiting the authorities' arguments. “A state that brands Euronews as 'extremist' and blocks access to independent, impartial journalism reveals its own fear of free reporting,” he said, vowing to continue providing factual journalism for audiences in Belarus.
The ban follows the 2021 suspension of Euronews's television broadcast in Belarus on procedural grounds, and the Kremlin's decision to cut Euronews's output across Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The latest move has intensified concerns about media freedom in the region, with many seeing it as part of a broader crackdown on independent voices. For more on how this affects Belarusian viewers, see Minsk's ban turns viewers into targets.
As European institutions debate responses, the incident has also reignited discussions about press freedom across the continent, including in EU member states where media independence is under pressure. The European Parliament has previously addressed such issues in its annual review of democratic debates. For now, Euronews remains committed to its mission, even as its access in Belarus is severed.
