Belarus censors images of Taliban delegation visit

Authorities in Belarus appear to have attempted to censor information and images regarding a recent visit by a Taliban delegation. The Afghan delegation, consisting of 13 men, spent five days in the country to study modern food production technologies, including a visit to a cheese factory in Slutsk.

Following the visit, local news reports and social media posts documenting the event were removed from Belarusian websites. Images captured by local media had circulated online before their deletion, showing the male Taliban officials interacting with Belarusian women who were presenting food products and baby formula. Conversely, Afghan media published images where the Belarusian women had been digitally removed.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya criticized the Minsk regime for hypocrisy, noting that while authorities label journalists and activists as ‘extremiști’ and ‘teroriști’, they maintain active contact with Taliban representatives.