In Brief: Our website and Facebook page have now been classified as extremist content. We explain the potential risks for users and outline the necessary steps to protect yourself.
On June 7, 2024, the Zheleznodorozhny District Court of Homel declared the Facebook page titled "Belarusian Helsinki Committee. Human Rights in Belarus" (https://www.facebook.com/belhelcom) and the website "Belarusian Helsinki Committee" (https://www.belhelcom.org) as extremist materials.
Administrative Persecution
In Brief: Do not store or forward content from our website, refrain from liking or sharing posts on our Facebook page, and delete all previous likes or shares. Dispose of any printed materials you may have. Failure to comply could result in administrative charges.
Possessing, sharing, or engaging with content from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee’s website or Facebook page—including subscribing, liking, or reposting—could lead to prosecution under Article 19.11 of the Administrative Offenses Code.
What Actions May Be Interpreted as "Distribution" or "Storage" of Our Materials
The following actions may be interpreted as distribution of our materials:
- Forwarding our content via private messages or group chats.
- Sharing hyperlinks to publications on our website or Facebook page.
- Reposting content from our Facebook page or website on social media.
The following actions may be interpreted as storage of our materials:
- Subscribing to our Facebook page.
- Saving screenshots of our posts in your device’s gallery.
- Retaining cached copies of our content on your device.
- Storing downloaded reports or similar documents from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, especially if they include links to our website or Facebook page (as is common in our reports).
Engaging in these activities could potentially expose you to administrative liability under current legislation.
Potential Penalties
Engaging in the actions listed above could result in the following penalties:
- Fines ranging from 10 to 500 base units.
- Arrest for up to 15 days for each individual "violation" (for example, three reposts could lead to three consecutive arrests, totaling up to 45 days).
- Confiscation of the device used in the offense, such as the phone or computer from which the repost was made.
Furthermore, if your website or online platform contains links to our content, it may be blocked or officially designated as "extremist."
What About Simply Reading?
Currently, "formally" reading our website or Facebook page without subscribing is not punishable. However, if you continue to follow our updates, we strongly advise that you regularly review and follow the guidelines outlined in the "Risk Minimization Recommendations" section.
Additionally, the following actions are not formally punishable:
- Mentioning us without including direct links to our website or Facebook page.
- Storing or sharing content from our texts without direct links or attributing it to us, as long as the content does not, in the authorities' view, contain elements of other offenses, such as "insulting officials" or "inciting hatred."
Please exercise caution and stay informed to protect yourself.
Risk Minimization: Recommendations
If you are in Belarus or plan to visit, please take the following steps to protect yourself:
1. Use VPN and Incognito Mode
- Always access our website and social media using a VPN and your browser’s incognito mode.
2. Devices
- Clear your browser history immediately and continue to do so regularly on all your devices.
- Check your browser's “Saved” tabs and bookmarks for any of our publications or links, and delete them.
- Remove any screenshots of our posts from your device’s photo albums and galleries. Also, be sure to delete files from the trash bins on your devices and cloud storage.
3. Social Media, Email, Blogs, and Websites
- Unsubscribe from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC) Facebook page. Remember, you can read our posts without subscribing.
- Do not like, comment, or repost any BHC content on Facebook.
- Review and delete any of your previous likes, comments, and reposts related to our Facebook publications.
- Remove any reposts of our Facebook content, hyperlinks to our website on your social media pages, personal messages, blogs, or other works.
- Clean up your email inbox by deleting any messages containing our links.
4. Offline
- If you have any physical documents, reports, letters, or badges containing links to the BHC website at home or in your office, please dispose of them safely.
These precautions are necessary to minimize potential risks and protect yourself from administrative penalties.
BHC's Position
We view this decision as an arbitrary restriction of our fundamental right to engage in human rights advocacy, specifically our right to disseminate information and raise awareness about human rights and mechanisms for their protection. This ruling also infringes upon the rights of our users to access such information and knowledge.
According to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, every individual, whether acting alone or in association with others, has the right to freely publish, convey, or distribute opinions, information, and knowledge about all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Every state is obligated to take all necessary measures to uphold this right.
Additionally, we remind:
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (ratified by the Republic of Belarus)
- Article 19(2): Everyone has the right to freedom of expression; this right includes the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing, in print, through artistic forms, or by other means of their choice.
- Article 19(3): This right may only be restricted for:
- (a) Respect for the rights or reputations of others;
- (b) Protection of national security, public order, public health, or morals.
Constitution of the Republic of Belarus
- Article 34: Citizens of the Republic of Belarus are guaranteed the right to receive, store, and disseminate complete, reliable, and timely information regarding the activities of state bodies, as well as information about political, economic, cultural, and international affairs, and the state of the environment.
This decision by the state not only violates international agreements and constitutional rights but also undermines the principles of freedom of expression and access to information. We remain committed to our mission of protecting human rights and will continue to advocate for the rights of individuals to freely seek and share information.
