Lukashenka wants to have record of every Belarusian

• 22.07.2008, 15:46

Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed the Law on Population Register on 22 July. The law created a legal base for forming of a unified personal data record keeping system.

Besides, the system will also contain data on foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently living in the country.

The register will unify the separate systems of physical persons record keeping, existing in various state agencies. It will allow to “secure defending of rights and legitimate interests of citizens, reduce outreach correspondence and requests of organisations,” the press service of Lukashenka notes.

The press service reports that the population register will include personal data on citizens: name, surname, father’s name, sex, date and place of birth and death, citizenship, marital status, residence, occupation, tax liability and so on. A unique number of every citizen will allow to identify a person quickly and objectively.

The population register will be formed by state institutions, citizens won’t be asked any data. “The Ministry of Internal Affairs has been authorised to manage this massive of confidential information,” the press service reports.

The press service also stresses the “formation of population register in Belarus is based on the positive experience of civilised foreign countries, which have created or are introducing a unified bank of their citizens personal data. Similar registers operate in more than 60 countries of the world, or in every third state.”