Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee deliberately doesn't use Belarusian language at its website

16.04.2014 Tags: language rights

https://spring96.org/en/news/70581 2014 2014-04-16T20:48:48+0300 2014-04-16T20:48:48+0300 2014-04-16T20:48:48+0300 en https://spring96.org/files/images/sources/bel-mova-u.jpeg The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

BPF activist Kanstantsin Smolikau filed an electronic appeal to the Vitsebsk REC, offering this institution to maske a Belarusian-language version for the website. The ideological department gave quite a short response: the website has been and will only be in Russian, since it is not contrary to the law.

According to Mr. Smolikau, citizens have the right to use the language preferred by them, and also have the right for creation of appropriate conditions for it:

"The website of the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee is a public Internet resource. It was created so that people could take advantage of certain technical features, for example, to file electronic appeals to the authorities. So why not make the Belarusian version of the site? We have a lot of people who are sufficiently proficient in the native language, and many of those who seek to create a Belarusian environment around themselves. So why not help in this ? Moreover, the Belarusian and Russian languages have an equal legal status. That's why I regard the approach which was explained to me in the letter from the xecutive committee as discriminative".

In this letter, signed by the Deputy Chief of ideological work, culture and youth affairs P. Hnutsenka, it is stated: "in accordance with subparagraph 1.3 of paragraph 1 of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of February 1, 2010 № 60 "On measures to improve the national Internet segment", the websites of state organs and organizations are created in Russian and (or) Belarusian, and if necessary – in one or more foreign languages. Thus, the use of the Russian language ... does not contradict the law."

The website of the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee has just two versions, Russian and English. However, not all sections are translated into English. What concerns the websites of the executive committees in Belarus – only the website of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee has Belarusian version.