Euroradio have confirmed that the Belorussian broadcaster, Belteleradiocompany (BTRC) has been expelled from the European Broadcasting Union, effective immediatley. This comes just one month after the European Broadcasting Union suspended the Belorussian broadcaster due to the ongoing political situation in Belarus.
On June 30th 2021, there was a meeting of the Executive Council of the organization, in which representatives have mentioned that as of June 1st, 2021, the Belorussian broadcaster will no longer be able to access services which are available to European Broadcasting Union members. These services include:
- The exchange of news and music content
- The right to broadcast certain music and sporting events
- Legal, technical and research expertise
- Interest protection services
We welcome @EBU_HQ decision to exclude Belarusian State TV BTRC from the Union. Regime's relentless gruesome propaganda broadcasting violence, torture of political prisoners, inciting hatred against people demanding democracy invited this extraordinary but well-deserved ban. pic.twitter.com/Hq0XWcuHda
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) June 30, 2021
The European Broadcasting Union’s exclusion of the Belorussian broadcaster has received mixed reviews, some of them positive, such as those views of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a Belorussian human rights activist.
Belarus’ ban from the European Broadcasting Union means that it is very unlikely that we will see them in Eurovision, Junior Eurovision, or any other related event for the forseeable future. In this case, it will be the first time since 2003 that Belarus will not participate in Junior Eurovision, and The Netherlands will remain the only country to have participated in every single contest.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the European Broadcasting Union made the right decision to expell Belarus? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below!
