17:15 Censorship legitimization prepared in Belarus

The bill “On information, informatization and information protection” prepared by the House of Representatives is aimed at imposing a strict governmental control on using and distributing any kind of information.
Lawyers of the Belarusian Association of Journalists announced it at a press conference in Minsk. According to the head of the BAJ Legal Protection Centre for Journalists Mihail Pastuhou, the Academy of Sciences will be dealing with registration of information resources including Internet sites.

Many state organizations will have departments responsible for censorship. The BAJ deputy chairperson Andrei Bastunets stressed that a number of the project’s regulations contradicted the Constitution and international standards.

BAJ sent their remarks and suggestions to the House of Representatives.