Belarus labels opposition Telegram channel Nexta ‘extremist’

MINSK: A court in Belarus has described as "extremist" the Nexta Live opposition Telegram channel, which mobilised protesters during the ongoing post-election rallies in the country, according to documents published on Tuesday.

The Poland-based channel, with close to two million subscribers, and its logo are now "extremist materials", according to a ruling by the Minsk Central District Court made available online. The court ordered the Belarus information ministry to "immediately" take action and limit access to Nexta Live’s resources in Belarus on the internet.

Nexta, meaning "somebody" in Belarusian, has been one of the major sources of information on the protests in Belarus which erupted after the landslide victory of long-standing President Alexander Lukashenko in an August election. The channel was founded in 2015 by popular Belarus blogger Stepan Svetlov. He is currently facing several criminal charges in Belarus and resides in Poland.