Pozirk

Pozirk is an independent Belarusian news agency created by former journalists and editors of BelaPAN and its online publication Naviny.by. The agency publishes news and analysis concerning Belarus, with coverage available in Belarusian, Russian, and English. Its name, written in Belarusian as “Позірк,” refers to a look, glance, or gaze, conveying the idea of observing and reporting on public affairs. The Pozirk.online website launched on October 16, 2023. Its emergence followed the forced departure of journalists and editors associated with BelaPAN after Belarusian authorities shut down the country’s oldest independent news agency in 2021. The new outlet therefore represents a continuation of independent Belarusian journalism in exile or under conditions of restricted access, while operating separately from state-controlled media. Pozirk’s work covers Belarusian politics, civil society, law enforcement, human rights, social affairs, and other developments relevant to domestic and international audiences. Its multilingual publishing model allows it to serve Belarusian- and Russian-speaking readers while also making selected reporting accessible to English-language readers outside the country. The agency has operated in an increasingly hostile regulatory environment. On December 5, 2023, the Central District Court in Minsk classified the Pozirk.online website as extremist material. From February 2024, access to the website from within Belarus was reported to require circumvention tools such as virtual private networks. On December 19, 2024, Belarus’s Ministry of Internal Affairs designated the entire Pozirk news agency as an extremist group. These measures restricted the outlet’s accessibility and created legal risks for people in Belarus who access, distribute, or otherwise interact with its content. Despite these restrictions, Pozirk remains an active independent media brand focused on Belarus. Publicly available reference material does not establish a formal corporate owner, headquarters, founder, executive roster, funding model, or legal listing status. The agency’s precise corporate structure should therefore be treated as undocumented in this entry.

Pozirk developed from the independent Belarusian media community associated with BelaPAN and its online newspaper Naviny.by. BelaPAN journalists and editors were forced to leave Belarus after the authorities banned the news agency in 2021. Against this background, Pozirk emerged as a new platform for independent reporting on Belarus. The Pozirk.online website began publishing on October 16, 2023. The agency reports in Belarusian, Russian, and English, reflecting both the country’s multilingual media environment and the importance of reaching readers outside Belarus. Its coverage is focused on current affairs and public-interest reporting, including politics, social issues, civil society, legal developments, and human rights. The available reference material does not identify a specific founder, formal headquarters, corporate parent, or individual executive leadership. Pozirk soon became subject to Belarusian state restrictions. On December 5, 2023, the Central District Court in Minsk declared the website extremist material. By February 2024, users in Belarus reportedly needed VPN services to access the site. The restrictions affected the outlet’s availability inside the country and exposed readers and distributors to potential legal consequences under Belarus’s expanding extremist-material framework. The authorities took a further step on December 19, 2024, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs designated the entire Pozirk news agency as an extremist group. This decision broadened the designation from the website to the media organization itself. The measure illustrates the regulatory and political pressures faced by independent Belarusian media operating after the government’s wider suppression of non-state journalism. Pozirk remains an active digital news brand according to the supplied reference material. Its continuing role is that of an independent, multilingual Belarus-focused agency serving readers in Belarus and abroad. Because the available sources provide limited organizational information, details such as ownership, financing, legal incorporation, physical headquarters, and current editorial leadership remain unconfirmed.

1. 2024Access from Belarus becomes restricted

   From February 2024, access to Pozirk.online from Belarus was reported to require VPN services.

   Source
2. 2024Agency designated an extremist group

   Belarus’s Ministry of Internal Affairs designated Pozirk as an extremist group on December 19, 2024.

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3. 2023Pozirk.online launches

   Pozirk launched its digital news website on October 16, 2023.

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4. 2023Website designated extremist material

   The Central District Court in Minsk classified Pozirk.online as extremist material on December 5, 2023.

   Source
5. 2021BelaPAN is banned in Belarus

   Belarusian authorities banned BelaPAN, forcing associated journalists and editors to leave the country and creating the background from which Pozirk later emerged.

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Independent, multilingual Belarusian journalism serving domestic and international audiences in contrast to state-controlled media.

• Pozirk.onlineDigital news website2023

  Pozirk’s primary digital publication, launched in October 2023. The site provides independent reporting on Belarus in Belarusian, Russian, and English. Its coverage addresses politics, public institutions, civil society, human rights, social affairs, and legal developments. The website has been subject to Belarusian state restrictions and was classified as extremist material by a Minsk court in December 2023.

• 2024Agency designated an extremist groupOther

  The earlier website-level designation was followed by a broader action against the media organization.

  What changed. On December 19, 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus designated the entire Pozirk news agency as an extremist group.

  Aftermath. The designation further constrained the agency’s operation and increased legal risks for people in Belarus who access or disseminate its material.

  Source
• 2023Launch of a new independent Belarusian news agencyOther

  Former BelaPAN and Naviny.by journalists and editors established a new digital outlet after the suppression of BelaPAN and the wider deterioration of conditions for independent media in Belarus.

  What changed. Pozirk launched Pozirk.online on October 16, 2023, publishing in Belarusian, Russian, and English.

  Aftermath. The outlet became a continuing source of independent Belarus-focused reporting for domestic and international audiences.

  Source
• 2023Website restricted through extremist-material designationOther

  Belarusian authorities acted against Pozirk.online shortly after its launch amid extensive state pressure on independent media.

  What changed. The Central District Court in Minsk declared the website extremist material on December 5, 2023.

  Aftermath. Access from Belarus was reported to require VPN services from February 2024.

  Source

• 2024Belarus designates Pozirk as an extremist group

  On December 19, 2024, Belarus’s Ministry of Internal Affairs designated the entire Pozirk news agency as an extremist group, escalating official restrictions against the outlet.

  Regulation
  Source
• 2023Pozirk.online launches

  Pozirk launched its online news website on October 16, 2023, establishing a new independent Belarusian media outlet associated with former BelaPAN and Naviny.by journalists and editors.

  Other
  Source
• 2023Belarusian court classifies Pozirk.online as extremist material

  On December 5, 2023, the Central District Court in Minsk designated the Pozirk.online website as extremist material. Access from Belarus was subsequently reported to require VPN services from February 2024.

  Regulation
  Source

1. Pozirk
2. Pozirk official website