Lukashenka signed law on protection of information

01.12.2008. Tags: freedom of expression, mass media, law.
Source: Charter`97.

On 10 November Alexander Lukashenka signed the law On Information, Informatization, and Information Protection. It was published on 26 November and will come into force six months after the publication.

IT.TUT.BY reports it. The law is aimed at regulation of public relations in the sector of information, informatization, and information protection.

As Andrei Illin, director if the informatization department, said in an official statement that the law will allow to fill the gaps of the information and informatization legislation relating to issues of information security of the state, individuals, and organisations, including protection of personal data, information interoperability of governmental bodies and information exchange. Besides, some institutions of information rights will be modernized taking into account development of information technologies and changes in information relations, and information, informatization, and information protection legislation of the Republic of Belarus will be standardized with the legislation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Governmental officers repeatedly emphasized that this law won’t cover work of media and electronic media. ‘No rules of behavior on the Internet are introduced [...] A citizen receives a right to reject the information he or she is imposed,’ minister of communication and information Mikalai Pantsialei said.

As the Charter’97 press center has reported, independent experts think the law reduces information environment in Belarus.

According to lawyer Mikhail Pastukhou, ‘total control over all streams of information will be established in Belarus. The so called information ghetto will be created, where the state will be able to watch and control any information.’

‘People will get only selected information, if it concerns them or their relatives. Access to information about activity of governmental agencies, economic, political situation and international life is doubtful. That means that the state is becoming an owner, a monopolist of all information,’ Mikhail Pastukhou explains.