Prevention of extremism

What is extremism?

Extremism (extremist activity) is the activity of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens or stateless persons (hereinafter, unless otherwise indicated, citizens) or political parties, trade unions, other public associations, religious and other organizations, including foreign or international organizations or their representative offices (hereinafter, unless otherwise indicated, organizations), formations and individual entrepreneurs in planning, organizing, preparing and committing attacks on independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty, the foundations of the constitutional order, public security.

What are extremist materials?

Extremist materials are symbols and attributes, information products (printed, audio, audiovisual and other information messages and (or) materials, posters, portraits, banners and other visual propaganda, advertising products) intended for public display, use and distribution or distributed by any means for the purpose of engaging in extremist activity and its propaganda and recognized as extremist materials by a court decision.

What forms of extremist materials are there?

CD-R discs; Book publications; Printed publications; Video materials; Information materials (Telegram channels, videos, photographs, articles, Internet resources, etc.); Information products (badges, stamps, etc.); Videos; Brochures; Website; Images; Music.

How can we determine whether material is extremist?

The website of the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus contains a Republican list of extremist materials (channels, chats, groups), which is regularly updated and supplemented. The website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus contains materials «On measures to counter extremism and the rehabilitation of Nazism». (Materials are only available in Russian. We apologize for the inconvenience.)

On measures to combat extremism and the rehabilitation of Nazism

Republican list of extremist materials

Telegram chatbot “Stop Extremism”

Responsibility

Distribution (reposting, reposting, posting links, etc.) on the Internet, storage of extremist materials, and subscription to extremist resources entail liability in accordance with the law.

Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses

1. Distribution of information products containing calls for extremist activity or promoting such activity, as well as the production, storage or transportation of such information products for the purpose of distribution, shall entail the imposition of a fine of up to 20 basic units with confiscation of the subject of the administrative offense.
2. Distribution of information products included in the republican list of extremist materials, as well as the production, publication, storage or transportation of such information products for the purpose of distribution – shall entail the imposition of a fine in the amount of 10 to 30 basic units with confiscation of the subject of the administrative offense, as well as the instruments and means of committing the said offense, or without confiscation of such instruments and means, or community service with confiscation of the subject of the administrative offense, as well as the instruments and means of committing the said offense, or without confiscation of such instruments and means, or administrative arrest (up to 15 days) with confiscation of the subject of the administrative offense, as well as the instruments and means of committing the said offense, or without confiscation of such instruments and means.

Article 361 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus

1. Public calls for the seizure of state power, or the violent change of the constitutional order of the Republic of Belarus, or treason, or the commission of an act of terrorism or sabotage, or the implementation of actions aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus, or the commission of other actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus, including the application of restrictive measures (sanctions) in relation to the Republic of Belarus, individuals and legal entities of the Republic of Belarus, or the dissemination of materials containing such calls, in the absence of elements of a more serious crime – shall be punishable by restriction of liberty for a term of up to 5 years or imprisonment for a term of up to 6 years, with or without a fine.
2. Appeals addressed to a foreign state, foreign or international organization to commit actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of the Republic of Belarus, including the application of restrictive measures (sanctions) against the Republic of Belarus, individuals and legal entities of the Republic of Belarus, or the dissemination of materials containing such appeals, in the absence of evidence of a more serious crime, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of 3 to 10 years with or without a fine.
3. Actions provided for in parts 1 or 2 of this article, committed using the mass media or the global computer network Internet, or by an official using his official powers, or resulting in grave consequences, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of 4 to 12 years with or without a fine.

Article 369 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus

Insulting a government official or his relatives in connection with the performance of his official duties, committed in a public speech, or in a printed or publicly displayed work, or in the media, or in information posted on the global computer network Internet, is punishable by a fine, or arrest, or restriction of liberty for a term of up to 3 years with a fine, or imprisonment for the same term with a fine.

Materials are only available in Russian. We apologize for the inconvenience.