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GOVERNMENT ADOPTS ANTI-TERRORISM LAW

Belarus has adopted a new anti-terrorism law which gives its government powers to conduct raids on journalists, arrest demonstrators and prevent media from reporting on matters of public interest, warns ARTICLE 19.
The group has written a letter to President Aleksandr Lukashenka expressing its serious concerns over the new "On the Fight Against Terrorism" law. "This law contains provisions that go beyond what is necessary to combat terrorism which constitute an unjustifiable restriction on the right to freedom of expression," the group says.

ARTICLE 19 says two sections of the law should be repealed. It says Article 13 contains provisions which give authorities the power to "use for official purposes means of communication belonging to citizens, state agencies and organisations regardless of their form of ownership" in conducting anti-terrorism operations.

The article also gives the government the power to "regulate the activities of media representatives" in anti-terrorism operations. This could open the way for government raids on media outlets in the guise of anti-terrorism, says ARTICLE 19. Another concern is that the definition of "terrorist activity" in Article 3 is so loose that it could include political demonstrations where violence might occur, says the group.

To view ARTICLE 19's full brief, visit
www.article19.org.

ARTICLE 19 has recently published a bulletin documenting recent violations of freedom of expression and developments in government and law in Belarus (
www.article19.org) and has also published analyses of the government's draft law on mass media, which is currently being considered (
www.article19.by).