A court in Minsk has ordered the liquidation of the banned independent news agency BelaPAN, which was declared an extremist organization in 2021 amid an intensified crackdown on media and civil society in Belarus following the 2020 disputed presidential election that handed victory to authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The Economic Court of Minsk on March 11 ruled to liquidate BelaPAN following a request by the prosecutor's office of the Pervomaisky district of Minsk, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Four BelaPAN journalists were sentenced to long prison terms in October 2022 after being accused of of treason, extremism, and organizing riots -- charges that they have rejected as politically motivated.
The case against them was launched in 2021 after police searched BelaPAN's headquarters.
BelaPAN's former deputy director, Andrey Alyaksandrau, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of high treason, the organization of illegal rallies, and tax evasion.
Alyaksadrau's wife, journalist Iryna Zlobina, was found guilty of high treason and organizing illegal rallies and sentenced to nine years in prison.
BelaPAN's former director, Dzmitry Navazhylau, and chief editor Iryna Leushyna were sentenced to six and four years in prison, respectively, on tax evasion changes.
In late 2020, several BelaPAN journalists fled Belarus following another wave of searches by police of the homes of independent journalists.
Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994, has tightened his grip on the country since the August 2020 election by arresting -- sometimes violently -- more than 35,000 people. Fearing for their safety, most opposition members have fled the country.
The West has refused to recognize the results of the election and does not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.
Many countries have imposed sanctions against Lukashenka's regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country.
Lukashenka, who is 69, has said he will run again for a new term in 2025.