Context: Belarus is experiencing a decline in crime. According to the Investigative Committee, the number of crimes registered during the first half of 2026 was about 5% lower than during the same period the previous year. However, the rate of decline has slowed significantly compared to last year. One in three crimes in the country is committed online.
On July 27, 2026 on broadcast of Clear Politics on the First News Channel*, host Siarhei Husachenka speaking about Germany, claimed that “crime is engulfing the heart and brain of the European Union particularly rapidly and painfully.” Then, the broadcast cited statistics presented as official data.
“According to data from the Ministry of Justice, as of June 2026, 147,000 people had been convicted. Of these, 21,000 were convicted of violence and armed assault, 14,000 of robbery and violent robbery, 43,000 of fraud and property crimes, 31,000 of drug trafficking, 18,000 of sexual offenses, and 29,000 of other crimes,” the program stated.
These statistics are completely false. First, data on convicted individuals for 2026 or even 2025 is not yet available. Second, the number of people convicted in Germany is typically much higher — more than 600,000 per year. In fact,, this figure has actually decreased over the past 50 years, and about 80% of those convicted receive fines.
Therefore, the number of people convicted in half a year cannot be 147,000, as claimed on the First News Channel. It’s possible that the report referred to a different set of statistics —people for whom arrest warrants have been issued but whom the police had not been able to arrest. The Bundestag released this information in response to a request from the Alliance 90/The Greens party. As of July 1, police were searching for 148,311 individuals. However, in this case, the breakdown by type of offense shown on the broadcast does not match.
Then, the show moved on to politically motivated crimes.
“We only included the largest offense categories. But the most common offense in Germany is different — and supporters of democracy will not like it,” Husachenka said.
After that, the program stated that Germany registered 85,800 politically motivated crimes in 2025.
This figure aligns with the actual number of registered politically motivated crimes in Germany in 2025: nearly 86,000. However, that’s a very broad category. It includes a variety of offenses, ranging from vandalizing election campaign posters and displaying prohibited symbols to assaults on people.
The broadcast specifically mentioned protests against the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“For example, if AfD is holding an event, even a party congress, which AfD — like any other democratic party — is required to hold at least once a year under the law on political parties, left-wing radicals from all over Germany come together and try to obstruct the lawful holding of the congress,” guest expert Eugen Schmidt, a Bundestag member from the Alternative for Germany party, said on air.
Such incidents do indeed occur. However, the Clear Politics show failed to mention that people with right-wing views are responsible for half of all politically motivated crimes in Germany. That’s nearly three times the number committed by left-wing views.
Another point of discussion was German prisons.
“Another official reason for the problems is the shortage of places in correctional facilities. German prisons are operating at 108% capacity. Construction of new prisons has been frozen in 9 of Germany’s 16 federal states because there is no money. In 2015, there were around 70,000 places in German prisons. By 2026, the population had grown by 5 million people, but the number of prison places had not,” the broadcast claimed.
However, a survey conducted by the German publication RND among the justice authorities of Germany's federal states in the spring of 2026 paints a different picture. Across Germany, the occupancy rate in prisons reached 86%. Only one of the 16 federal states had prisons operating at more than 100%, while in 10 states prisons were operating at or near full capacity However, experts consider prisons to be effectively full once occupancy exceeds 85%. However, prisons across Germany were not operating at 108% capacity.
* The First News Channel is another name for News.by, a news outlet owned by Belteleradiocompany.
