Security News > 2021 > October > Belarus: Joining banned Telegram channels will land you in prison
Belarusian law enforcement has published a list of Telegram channels that are now considered extremist and warned people that merely joining them would be punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment.
The agency published a list of over 100 banned channels on a Telegram channel operated by the law enforcement agency.
The list includes a Telegram channel for Nexta Live with over a million subscribers, making it likely the most notable of the banned channels.
An anonymous network of local journalists and activists who oppose the Lukashenko regime operates this channel and is considered one of the very few independent sources of news that the people of Belarus can trust.
The targeting of its Telegram channel by the government is not surprising.
Although it's likely that the GUBOP will not imprison every Telegram group participant in the listed channels, some may be arrested and prosecuted to serve as an example.