Ales Bieliatsky: “Human right defenders categorically react on this document”



On February 1 the president’s decree “About national segment of Internet” was signed and it will come into force on July 1. Human rights defender Ales BIELIATSKY in the interview to www.Euramost.org called this decree an “alarm document”.



As written in the document, the control over the resources of Internet in Belarus is to be carried out in an order set forth by the Council of Ministers on agreement with special service – Operative-analytical centre of Lukashenko’s administration (OAC). Internet providers of the country get under the control of OAC. This centre “with the approval of the president of the Republic of Belarus” will define “authorized providers of Internet service and re-count operators of electronic connection which have direct access (connection) to international nets of electronic connection”. Provider’s activity can be stopped by the decision of the Council of Ministers. Prohibition on access to information, illegal according Belarusian legislation also gets under the influence of the operative-analytical centre. And registration under the domain names .by will be also under the control of OAC. The users of Internet also will be under control: “Owners of public internet access centers or their representatives are to identify users of internet services in their public internet access centers… Information about subscription Internet access devices, personal data of Internet users and data about Internet services are to be reported at request of organs performing operational and search activity, prosecution organs and organs of introductory investigation”. Article 11 gives rise to a real concern: “When uncovering major violations of legislation, repeat violations of other demands of the present Decree, other acts of legislation in the sphere of using national segment of Internet, provision of Internet services to legal body or an entrepreneur who committed violations can be arrested by the provider of Internet services which provides the user with these services at request of the organs mentioned in the first part of the act within six months starting from pronouncement of the direction to rectify revealed violations… - I evaluate this decree as a document which lessens a legal environment of citizens and freedom of speech in Belarus categorically, - says Ales Bieliatsky. – Though, of course, we first should see how it will work. But some of its regulations disquiet greatly and we can already speak about this decree being a direct way to limitation of Internet informational area. – What in this decree makes you most uneasy? – There are many of them and they are enough for authorities to apply sanctions against unwanted Internet sites. And I’m sure that first of all socio-political sites will be blocked first. – How predictable was writing of this document? – Quite predictable, indeed. During the last month we could hear much from officials about the harm of Internet and the necessity of regulation of this area. That’s how they opened ground and indisposed people against Internet. Almost every day there were subjects with “specialists” in informational blocks, they called to limit Internet-space. The authorities were serious. It’s alarming because it can be closely connected with the forthcoming presidential campaign and with the fact that those sites which provide independent information can be repressed. Sites of Charter and “Viasna” are not registered in Belarus. And they can be simply blocked during some serious public campaigns – first of all presidential one. And I think they can call for responsibility those people who publish the materials on these web-sites, though we’ve already had such cases – let’s just recall the criminal case against Andrey Klimov for his article in internet. And the other thing is now – when everything is legalized and such cases can be made easily. And this all very alarming. Because until now Internet was probably the only free informational space in the country which the authorities couldn’t reach. But the time of Internet has come. – What are your expectations - optimistic or pessimistic? – I think much will depend on the position of international society and public society of Belarus. How active will be journalists and people interested in freedom of informational space. How crucially will international representatives act? – Do you think there will be a reaction of Belarusian society? – Time will show. But in particular human rights defenders will rise this question because we evaluate this document as another step towards limitation of freedom and spreading of information.
Aleksandr SAMUSIEVICH.