Belarusian media reported on 30 September 2026 that Interior Ministry representative Nataliya Sakharchuk had warned citizens they could face criminal liability for social-media posts containing criticism of everyday conditions and public services.
According to the report, officials and security personnel associated with Alyaksandr Lukashenko’s government are treating some complaints or criticism posted on platforms including Threads and TikTok as possible “incitement of social discord”. The reported examples include complaints about spoiled food in shops, long queues at clinics and the quality of municipal services. The report does not independently establish that arrests have been made in these cases.
The source characterises the warnings as an expansion of repression and administrative pressure, alleging that the authorities are using the threat of punishment and self-censorship to deter people from discussing social and economic problems publicly.
It also alleges that people in Belarus are being prosecuted not only for explicitly political activity but increasingly for everyday comments, under provisions concerning “insulting a representative of the authorities” and “incitement of social discord”. These claims are presented in the source as allegations and were not independently verified in the supplied material.
