PARIS: Russia and Belarus criticised France’s human rights record in a joint report released on June 15, alleging extensive restrictions in the Western European country.
The two foreign ministries accused France of curtailing civil, social and economic freedoms. They cited media regulation, digital surveillance, administrative dissolutions of associations and alleged discriminatory policing.
The document formed part of their third joint report on human rights conditions in selected Western countries, according to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.
The report cited broadcasting regulator Arcom’s licensing process involving television channels C8 and NRJ12. Arcom omitted the channels from its shortlist in July 2024 and formally rejected their applications in December. However, France’s Council of State dismissed the channels’ legal challenges on February 19, 2025.
Read: Russia Shot Down Flight MH17, Rules European Court of Human Rights
French law requires Arcom to consider pluralism, public interest and the comparative merits of applicants when allocating limited frequencies.
The report also criticised the March 2022 suspension of Russian state-controlled outlets RT and Sputnik.
Read: Woman forced to remove clothes after burkini ban in France
The Council of the European Union, rather than France alone, imposed the bloc-wide measure after Russia invaded Ukraine. The council said the outlets supported disinformation and Russia’s military aggression.
Separately, the report said President Emmanuel Macron’s government dissolved 49 associations through administrative action between May 2017 and January 2026. It acknowledged that the Council of State later overturned some decisions.
The ministries also alleged systemic racial discrimination. French Interior Ministry data showed police recorded more than 16,400 racist, xenophobic or anti-religious offences in 2025, including 9,700 crimes or misdemeanours.
