BelaPAN

BelaPAN was founded on 19 November 1991 by journalists Aleś Lipaj and Vital Cyhankoŭ. Its first office was reportedly a very small facility with limited equipment: one computer, one fax machine and three desks. Staff members initially printed reports and hand-delivered them to newspaper editorial offices in Minsk. Iryna Leŭšyna joined the organization in 1992 and later became its editor-in-chief. The agency gradually expanded during the 1990s. In 1996 it rented office space from the state news agency BelTA. An early attempt to diversify into print publishing, the newspaper Otдыхай, was discontinued in the early 2000s because it was not sufficiently profitable. By 2001, six of Minsk's nine FM radio stations were using BelaPAN's news feed. In 2002, BelaPAN added analytical, advertising, publishing, social and web-design departments, reflecting a broader media-services model. Also in 2002, the organization launched Belorusskiye Novosti, known online as Naviny.by. It was described as an early Belarusian internet newspaper and provided continuously updated coverage rather than the daily publication cycle of print newspapers. BelaPAN continued to develop its digital capabilities, creating a separate multimedia editorial office in 2007 and introducing infographics during the same year. By 2008, the agency was producing at least 100 news items daily, while also operating monitoring and advertising services. BelaPAN's editorial output has covered Belarusian politics, the economy, sports and other current affairs in Russian, Belarusian and English. Since 2004, it has been described as Belarus's only representative in the CEE-BusinessLine network. The agency received recognition for independent journalism and media work, including the Dźmitry Zavadski Prize for Courage and Professionalism in 2004, the Zeit Foundation's Free Media Award in 2005, and the Runet Prize in 2006 for being the best Russian-language online news source outside Russia. It later received a Corporate Social Responsibility Award in 2016. Editor-in-chief Iryna Leŭšyna was named Journalist of the Year in 2018, while reporter Taciana Karaviankova received a Civil Society Champion award that year. BelaPAN also received a Leader of Consumer Market award in 2019. The agency's work repeatedly brought it into conflict with Belarusian authorities and exposed it to cyberattacks. Its website was defaced in October 2011. BelaPAN and Naviny.by were blocked in December 2014, and further reported blockages occurred in March 2015 and February 2016. In October 2015, BelaPAN's server was subjected to a significant DDoS attack after publication of material about the Pray for Belarus action. The disruptions occurred against a background of restrictions on independent media and politically sensitive public events. In August 2018, several BelaPAN journalists and editor-in-chief Iryna Leŭšyna were arrested in the BelTA case. Authorities alleged that journalists had taken news from a paid subscription service operated by the state-owned BelTA agency. Leŭšyna was held for three days. Human-rights organizations, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and OSCE representatives criticized the arrests and described the response as an effort to intimidate independent media. Following the political crisis and repression that intensified after the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, pressure on BelaPAN escalated. On 14 January 2021, authorities searched the agency's office and seized equipment and handwritten and printed records, disrupting its operations. On 18 August, law enforcement searched the office and the homes of six employees. Five people were detained, including Leŭšyna, former director Dzmitry Navazhilau, accountant Katsyaryna Boeva, correspondents Zakhar Shcharbakov and Iryna Turchyna, and deputy editor-in-chief and Naviny.by editor Aliaksandar Zaitsau was also among those affected by the searches and detentions described in contemporary accounts. Servers, laptops, phones and flash drives were confiscated. Investigators announced allegations involving gross violations of public order and tax evasion against several staff members. In November 2021, Belarus's KGB labeled BelaPAN an extremist formation. The designation made alleged participation in or creation of the formation a criminal offense, and Leŭšyna and Navazhilau were charged with creating an extremist formation. BelaPAN's websites, already inaccessible in Belarus, ceased updating. In response to the repression and the loss of the original operating environment, former BelaPAN and Naviny.by staff created Pozirk, which announced Pozirk.online in October 2023. The available references do not establish whether BelaPAN itself remains active as a functioning news agency.

1. 2023Former staff announce Pozirk.online

   Former BelaPAN and Naviny.by employees announced the launch of the successor-oriented news project Pozirk.online.

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2. 2021Office searches and detentions

   Authorities searched BelaPAN's office and employees' homes, seized equipment and detained several staff members.

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3. 2021Designated an extremist formation

   Belarus's KGB designated BelaPAN an extremist formation in November.

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4. 2018BelTA case

   BelaPAN journalists and editor-in-chief Iryna Leŭšyna were arrested over alleged unauthorized use of BelTA news material.

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5. 2011Website hacked

   The agency's website was defaced on 24 October.

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6. 2008News and monitoring services expanded

   BelaPAN was publishing at least 100 news articles per day and operated monitoring and advertising services.

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7. 2007Multimedia operation established

   The agency opened a separate multimedia editorial office and introduced its first infographics.

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8. 2004CEE-BusinessLine representation

   BelaPAN became the only Belarusian representative in the CEE-BusinessLine network, according to the reference material.

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9. 2002Naviny.by launched

   BelaPAN launched the online newspaper Belorusskiye Novosti, also known as Naviny.by.

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10. 2001Expansion of radio news distribution

    Six of nine Minsk FM radio stations were reported to be using BelaPAN's news feed.

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11. 1992Iryna Leŭšyna joins the agency

    Iryna Leŭšyna joined BelaPAN and later became its editor-in-chief.

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12. 1991BelaPAN founded

    Journalists Aleś Lipaj and Vital Cyhankoŭ established the Belarusian Private News Agency on 19 November.

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Independent, non-governmental Belarusian news provider offering multilingual reporting and related media-information services.

• BelaPAN news feedNews agency service1991

  The agency's core service supplied current-affairs reporting on Belarusian politics, economics, sports and public life. Content was produced in Russian, Belarusian and English and distributed to media organizations, including Minsk radio stations. The feed formed the foundation of BelaPAN's business and supported its reputation as an independent alternative to state-controlled news sources.

• Belorusskiye Novosti (Naviny.by)Online newspaper2002

  Launched in 2002, Belorusskiye Novosti, commonly known online as Naviny.by, was BelaPAN's principal online newspaper. It provided frequently updated Belarusian news and was described as an early ByNet publication that differed from print newspapers by publishing throughout the day. The website later became subject to blocking and stopped updating after the repression of 2021.

• Media monitoring serviceInformation service

  BelaPAN developed a monitoring operation that tracked media and current-affairs information for clients. The service was part of the agency's broader diversification beyond news distribution and was operating by the late 2000s.

• Election monitoring and analytical projectsResearch and civic-information service

  In addition to routine reporting, BelaPAN conducted projects connected with elections, analysis and public-information work. The available references do not provide a complete catalog of these projects or identify their individual sponsors.

• 2015Pray for Belarus coverage

  Belarus

  BelaPAN published material about the Pray for Belarus action, after which its server experienced a significant reported DDoS attack.

  Outcome. The incident disrupted access to the agency's online services and became part of a broader pattern of digital pressure on independent Belarusian media.

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• 2021Operational disruption after state actionStrategy

  Searches, equipment seizures, staff detentions and the extremist-formation designation severely constrained the organization's ability to operate inside Belarus.

  What changed. BelaPAN's websites stopped updating after being blocked, while former staff later established Pozirk as a separate news agency.

  Aftermath. The available material does not establish a formal closure or legal successor for BelaPAN, but its former editorial team continued Belarus-focused journalism through Pozirk.

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• 2007Move into multimedia journalismStrategy

  Changing online publishing formats increased demand for visual and multimedia news production.

  What changed. BelaPAN created a separate multimedia editorial office and introduced infographics.

  Aftermath. The agency broadened its digital publishing capabilities and continued expanding its online and monitoring services.

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• 2002Launch of Belorusskiye NovostiProduct launch

  BelaPAN sought to extend its agency reporting into the emerging Belarusian internet-news market.

  What changed. It launched Belorusskiye Novosti, later known online as Naviny.by, as a continuously updated news publication.

  Aftermath. The publication became a central BelaPAN digital property and an important independent Belarusian news website before later blockages and operational interruption.

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• 2021State searches and detentionsControversy

  Authorities searched BelaPAN's office and employees' homes, detained several staff members and seized servers, computers, phones and other materials. Investigators announced allegations involving public-order violations and tax evasion against some employees.

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• 2021Extremist-formation designationControversy

  Belarus's KGB designated BelaPAN an extremist formation in November. The designation exposed alleged participants and organizers to criminal liability and was followed by the cessation of updates on BelaPAN's blocked websites.

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• 2018BelTA caseControversy

  BelaPAN journalists and editor-in-chief Iryna Leŭšyna were arrested over allegations that they had accessed and used material from a paid subscription service operated by the state-owned BelTA agency. Press-freedom organizations, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and OSCE representatives criticized the arrests as disproportionate and intimidating toward independent media.

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• 2023Former BelaPAN team launches Pozirk

  Former BelaPAN and Naviny.by staff announced the launch of the Belarus-focused news agency Pozirk.online.

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• 2015BelaPAN server hit by reported DDoS attack

  After BelaPAN published material about the Pray for Belarus action, its server experienced a significant reported distributed-denial-of-service attack.

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• 2014BelaPAN and Naviny.by domains blocked

  The domains associated with BelaPAN and Naviny.by were blocked in Belarus amid broader restrictions affecting independent media websites.

  Regulation
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• 2011BelaPAN website reportedly defaced

  BelaPAN's website was hacked and its front page was replaced with an image of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

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1. BelaPAN