BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/12/2005

Lukashenko Tightens Grip On Critics

Belarus is widely regarded as one of the last remaining outposts of authoritarianism in Europe, ruled since 1994 by President Aleksander Lukashenko. The press is tightly controlled by the state and independent media are frequently harassed, legally sanctioned and attacked for criticising the president.

Now, a newly approved law seeks to further silence critics ahead of presidential elections in March 2006, report Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF).

Enacted by Lukashenko earlier this month, the new law makes criticism of the president and his government punishable by up to five years in prison, CPJ says.

It includes a provision under which anyone who supplies "false information about political, social, military, or foreign policy in Belarus" to international organisations, agencies or governments can be jailed for up to two years.

Anyone who joins an unregistered or banned political party can be imprisoned for up to two years, while those who take part in street demonstrations can be jailed for up to three years, notes RSF.

The law toughens existing legislation, which already makes it illegal to criticise Lukashenko or any senior officials.

The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Belarus, Adrian Severin, has criticised the new law, saying it could "severely undermine the rights to freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression of civil society organizations and individuals."

Severin also urged the government to stop the harassment and persecution of human rights defenders and to "take all necessary steps to secure the right to freedom of opinion and expression."

According to a Human Rights Watch report, Lukashenko's administration has eroded civil and political rights over the past decade. Independent media and civil society groups are decreasing in number due to pressure from the authorities.

In the run-up to the October 2004 elections, widely considered unfair by international observers, a dozen or so print media outlets were suspended, mostly for violating largely formalistic registration requirements, says Human Rights Watch.

A climate of intimidation accompanied the election and referendum campaigns, including police raids on opposition offices, and the detention of opposition candidates and campaign workers.

CPJ notes that on election day, authorities barred dozens of local and international monitors from observing the polls, and state television violated domestic laws by broadcasting pro-Lukashenko commercials and favorable exit-poll results.

Visit these links:

- IFEX Alerts on Belarus: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/188/

- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2005/Belarus07dec05na.html

- CPJ Report on Belarus: http://www.cpj.org/attacks04/europe04/belarus.html

- Human Rights Watch: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/13/belaru9878.htm

- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15832

- U.N. Rapporteur Voices Concerns: http://tinyurl.com/b5pc8

The Guardian: http://tinyurl.com/a29pf

- Where Tyranny Rules: http://tinyurl.com/9ejkv

Source:

http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/71223/

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