Belarus: authorities put critical news portal "tut.by" under pressure

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The Belarusian ruler Lukashenko in Minsk on Monday

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Maxim Guchek / imago images / ITAR-TASS

The Belarusian authorities have been cracking down on critics of President Alexander Lukashenko for months.

Now the popular news portal "tut.by" is also hit, reporting in detail on the protests: From October 1st to the end of December, the editorial team's status as a mass medium is to be revoked.

This was announced by the Ministry of Information in Minsk, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.

The editors of "tut.by" confirmed the report on their website.

But they want to try to continue working.

According to Reuters, "tut.by" is the country's largest news organization that is not controlled by the state.

Since the presidential election on August 9, Belarus has been in the greatest crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union some 30 years ago.

There are daily protests against the ruler Lukashenko.

The democracy movement demands his resignation, the release of all political prisoners and new elections.

After 26 years in power, the 66-year-old was introduced to office for the sixth time in a row last Wednesday.

He had declared several times that he did not want to give up power.

Punitive measures from London and Ottawa

Canada and Great Britain imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and others on Tuesday.

In the case of Canada, economic penalties that prohibit Canadian nationals from doing business with these people, said the State Department in Ottawa.

"Since the fraudulent presidential election in August 2020, the Belarusian government has carried out a systematic campaign of repression and state-sponsored violence against public protests and the activities of opposition groups," it said.

The sanctions were imposed in cooperation with Great Britain.

London imposed travel restrictions on Lukashenko, his son and other members of the government and froze accounts.

"We do not accept the results of this rigged election," said Foreign Minister Dominic Raab.

The EU, on the other hand, has not yet imposed any sanctions, although it has already agreed on these in principle and no longer recognizes Lukashenko as head of state.

The reason is a veto by Cyprus.

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mes / dpa / Reuters