Belarus Intensifies Crackdown on Information

Journalists and Wikipedia Editors Targeted

Far from the spotlight of major news networks, a war on information is being silently waged in Belarus. Like many dictatorships and so-called “illiberal” democracies, the Belarus authorities strictly control news and information outlets. Belarus currently ranks 166th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Nearly all independent media are banned, blocked, or labeled as “extremist”, making it illegal to follow, share, or even “like” their content online.

Dozens of journalists are imprisoned. As of June 2025, 39 media representatives are behind bars, some serving sentences of up to 14 years for their professional activities. The government routinely prosecutes journalists, media managers, and bloggers on charges such as “extremism”, “arrangement of mass riots”, or “treason against the state”.

This positions Belarus among the countries with the most repressive and dangerous environments for journalists globally.

What is less known is that even editors of Wikipedia are being targeted. Over the past few years, several Wikipedia editors have been arrested, imprisoned or otherwise restricted in movement for their activities. These include Olga Sitnik, Mark Bernstein, Kazimier Lachnovič and more recently Maksim Lepushenka.

In an effort to protect its editors – who work on a voluntary basis – Wikipedia has taken to anonymizing contributions made by Belarus contributors.

(Michael Leahy. Source: WikiNews et al. Photo: )