Wednesday 11 June the Belarusian Association of Journalists finally received the draft bill on mass media. BAJ is dissatisfied with numerous elements including re-registration of journalists and the regulation of publications of the Internet. The authorities want to get the bill passed by Parliament as soon as possible, but BAJ reminds them to their promise to discuss it with civil society and European experts. (15-JUNE-08)

This is a BAJ article, edited by Ralph Pluimert / HRH F

BAJ Chairperson Ms. Zhanna Litvina noted that the draft law had been prepared secretly without any participation of interested people and organizations. She stressed that the new draft law confirmed the desire of the governmental authorities to put control over all independent media outlets possible, including the printed periodicals and Internet editions. She noted that this policy entirely jeopardized the existence of freedom of speech in Belarus.

“We will appeal to each member of the Chamber of Representatives of the National Assembly with a request to facilitate publication of this draft law in all state media. Also, we will demand to arrange a wide discussion of the legal norms that can be found in the draft law. It is necessary to remind the utmost importance of the steps they will take, while voting for this bill, to them”, she emphasized.

Promises made
Litvina recollected former promises of top governmental officials to send the draft law on the media to the European experts for their consideration. She noted that the Belarusian authorities should keep to the promises, if they think seriously about the development of dialogue with the European state and non-governmental institutions. Moreover, they should wait for the expert remarks, instead of hurrying with the adoption of the new law, she added.

One of the critical issues in the bill is the necessity of getting accreditation for the journalists that cooperate with foreign media outlets in general. The media lawyer Yury Taparashau emphasized that according to the draft law any cooperation of Belarusian citizens with the foreign media without official accreditations was strictly banned (article 35, p. 4). Thus, the bill under consideration “breaks the citizens” Constitutional right to receive and disseminate information”, the expert concluded.

Discrediting Belarus
Also, All media outlets will be obliged to get re-registered within a year’s course. All press cards will have to correspond to the general model to be elaborated and adopted by the Ministry of Information of Belarus. Media outlets and journalists will be sued for re-printing the materials that “discredit the Republic of Belarus”. Moreover, it is suggested in the draft law that a media outlet may be closed down for any double breach of the law, depicted in official warnings from the governmental institutions, within a year’s course.

More on the new media law can be read on BAJ’s website: http://baj.by/