The Belarusian opposition wanted to deprive the state TV of the right to broadcast the Eurovision music contest. This was announced on Thursday, January 21, by Interfax-Zapad.
The Belarusian Foundation for Cultural Solidarity has launched a campaign to exclude Belteleradiocompany from the European Broadcasting Union and to deprive the right to broadcast and participate in Eurovision. The corresponding letter has been sent to the office of the European Broadcasting Union in Geneva.
The Foundation was established in October 2020, its main goal is to help representatives of the cultural community of Belarus.
Earlier, Belarus was deprived of the right to host the World Ice Hockey Championship in 2021. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) attributed this decision to the failure to guarantee the safety of tournament participants and fans.
On August 9, 2020, presidential elections were held in Belarus. The CEC announced that Alexander Lukashenko, who ran for a sixth term, won 80 percent of the vote. This sparked massive protests across the country that have been going on for five months.
The first actions were violently dispersed using special means. Thousands of people were detained, many of them told about beatings and torture in isolation wards. Several protesters are known to have died. A number of opposition politicians and activists were arrested or fled the country.
Lukashenka himself claims that the West is behind what is happening in Belarus.