BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

29/06/2008

Upper House of Belarusian Parliament Adopts Controversial Media Law

Text of report in English by Belarusian privately-owned news agency Belapan

Minsk, 28 June: The Council of the Republic (upper house of the Belarusian parliament) on June 28 voted 48 to one to approve a new version of the Belarusian media law, which has been criticized by journalists and opposition politicians for restricting the constitutional right to disseminate and receive information.

The law was submitted to the National Assembly [parliament] on 10 June and was adopted by the House of Representatives [lower house] on 24 June.

The bill has been severely criticized by the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). The draft law defines the media as a mean of distributing information in print, online and in electronic formats, which, the BAJ says, means that online media outlets may become subject to procedures applied to print and broadcasting media outlets.

Under the law, regulations governing the state registration of online media outlets and the distribution of online media products would be within the remit of the Council of Ministers [government]. According to the BAJ, the bill would thereby allow the government to demand that online media outlets obtain state registration and all non-registered online news services can be blocked regardless of their origin.

Natallya Pyatkevich, deputy head of the Presidential Administration, insisted earlier this month that the law does not mean that a government resolution demanding the compulsory state registration of online media outlets should necessarily follow. However, Deputy Information Minister Liliya Ananich said in May that the information ministry unambiguously advocates the registration requirement for online media outlets, as "there is a problem of misinformation flows" from websites abroad, which she said are aimed at destructively influencing processes in Belarus. "But there is the experience of China, which has cut off access to its territory for such sites."

The bill would also ban professional activities of non- accredited journalists working for foreign media outlets. "This means that if you write for a foreign publication, you will be regarded as a correspondent of this publication and will be punished if you have no accreditation," explains BAJ legal expert Yuryy Taparashaw.

The bill would also prohibit Belarusian media outlets from receiving financial and technical support from foreign individuals and organizations unless they are co-founders.

Media outlets would be held responsible for "distributing false information that can damage state or public interests."

Originally published by Belapan news agency, Minsk, in English 1529 28 Jun 08.

Source:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1455141/upper_house_of_belarusian_parliament_adopts_controversial_media_law/

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