Łukašenka does not plan to ban YouTube – information minister

April 9, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka is opposed to the idea of banning YouTube, newly appointed Information Minister Dźmitryj Žuk said, according to state media.

“You know the president’s position: he is not a supporter of prohibitions. We should find other mechanisms of communication with the big media players,” he is quoted as saying.

He said that the country is involved in information warfare, part of which was YouTube’s recent removal of content of three Belarusian state media outlets. “We have to fight on the enemy’s territory, including on YouTube and in Instagram.”

State media sounded alarm about their content disappearance from YouTube on April 3.

The information ministry, led by censorship stalwart Marat Markaŭ at the time, described the move as unfriendly and reserved the right to respond.

Some state media called for restricting access to YouTube in the country.

YouTube also deleted a new account launched by one of the media outlets five days later.

Three days ago, Belarusian state-controlled media aired a report, complaining that YouTube had disabled monetization for state outlets on its platform, citing US sanctions on the Belarusian finance ministry, which were lifted in March.

The report complained that, instead of restoring monetization, the platform carried out “a mass purge of major accounts,” accusing exiled opposition activists of filing complaints with YouTube’s administration over the disclosure of their personal data by the Belarusian propaganda workers.

Following the 2020 political crisis, Minsk officials branded most of the country’s independent media outlets “extremist organizations,” banished their editorial staff from Belarus and banned their content from distribution in the country.