Belarus banned from Eurovision 2021 over song lyrics
Belarus has been disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for twice fielding songs deemed to have broken the rules of the competition, BBC News reports.
The country was told to submit a new song two weeks ago over concerns their entry had a political subtext.
But the re-submission, by the same group, has now also been deemed inappropriate by contest organisers.
In a statement, the EBU said it had "carefully scrutinised the new entry to assess its eligibility to compete."
However, "it was concluded that the new submission was also in breach of the rules of the competition that ensure the Contest is not instrumentalised or brought into disrepute".
"Regrettably, Belarus will not be participating in the 65th Eurovision Song Contest in May," it added.
The band, Galasy ZMesta, is known for mocking anti-government protests.
Large-scale demonstrations took place across Belarus last year after Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in a disputed presidential election.