Lukashenka spat upon Council of Europe’s appeals
- 5.08.2008, 13:46
In the run-up to the “elections” Alyaksandr Lukashenka defiantly signed into law the new version on mass media, ignoring appeals of the Council of Europe that this law could finally destroy freedom of speech in Belarus. As we have informed, not long before Lukashenka’s signing the draft law, Andrea Rigoni, special rapporteur on Belarus in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), urged Minsk to refrain from enacting a new media law.
“I call on the Belarusian authorities to suspend any further examination of this draft and its entry into force,” Mr. Rigoni said.
“Once this legislation comes into force, it will restrict freedom of information in the country even further, especially when it comes to electronic media, and will extend the power of the authorities to interfere with media activities in a way which is contrary to European standards,” Mr. Rigoni says in a statement issued in Strasbourg on July 1. “What is more, even before its entry into force, the new draft law is bound to have a chilling effect of self-censorship on the media. Given the forthcoming parliamentary elections, this gives particular and acute cause for concern.”
As the Charter’97 informed, a number of international organisations urged the Belarusian authorities not to adopt this document. Among them were the OSCE, the European Commission, the international human rights organisations “Reporters without Borders”.
The new law introduces registration of mass media distributed via World Wide Web. This registration and activities of mass media are to be regulated not by a law, but by enactments of the Council of Ministers of Belarus. Activates of any
Besides, the law bans registration of mass media with more than 30% of a foreign capital’s share. To disseminate a foreign publication at the territory of the country, a special permission is needed. Accreditation of foreign media’s journalists at the territory of Belarus is to become obligatory.
Under the draft law on mass media, the list of violations for which an official warning could be made to the editorial office, is imprecise and not defined clearly, and it is possible to suspend issuing a mass media even after one warning. And not only the Information Ministry, but any judge, prosecutor of official of any district capital could issue warnings to mass media. A warning can be issued for “dissemination of unreliable information which can damage state or public interests”.
Under the new law, the state registration of on-line mass media is within the competence of the Council of Ministers of Belarus. It is stated that all registered mass media are to be included in the state register of mass media. The information Ministry is responsible for its creation.
Lukashenka is given a right to address the nation on important issues of public and political life without preliminary consultation with the state-run TV and radio authorities. The new law does not contain a provision that the organisations at which a journalist is accredited, are to inform him or her about upcoming events or provide documents.
The law is to come into force in 6 months after its official publication.