Belarus recognises Telegram stickers mocking Lukashenka as ‘extremist content’

A court in Minsk has recognised two Telegram sticker packs dubbed Sasha 3% and Luka as “extremist content”, Mediazona Belarus and Euroradio report, citing the Belarus’ Ministry of Information.

The stickers were recognised as extremist back on 25 July; however, they were only added to the list of extremist content today.

The Sasha 3% sticker pack, which alludes to the opposition's belief that Lukashenka only had 3% public support in the run-up to the election, includes the phrases “Long Live Belarus!” and “Let them go”, which have become symbols of the Belarusian protest.

This is the first time that sticker packs have been included on Belarus’ list of extremist content.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry earlier added Euroradio to its list of extremist organisations. The list also includes Euroradio social media accounts and its YouTube channel.

The Belarusian government started to include independent media outlets on the list of “extremist organisations” following the 2020 presidential election, which launched a wave of mass protests in the country against electoral fraud and police violence. The list of “extremists” includes Tut.by and Zerkalo.io media outlets, the websites of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and many others.