The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called upon the Belarus
government to bring in radical reforms to media and to abandon the strategy set
out in a divisive new law that came into force on 8 February.
"Belarus media
requires invigorating reform, not a new media law that merely turns the screw ever
tighter on the independent media," said Aidan White,
IFJ General Secretary. The IFJ says that last minute softening of the legislation
and the recent return of two independent newspapers to state distribution
system do not disguise the harsh reality that "Belarus journalists are the most
oppressed in Europe."
The
IFJ supports the Belarus Association of Journalists (BAJ), which is calling for
reform of the media sector. It says the European Union should make normalisation
of relations with Belarus
dependent on a genuine commitment to free expression.
The
new media law regulates online media and calls for the registration of media
outlets. It also speeds up procedures for closing down media and says journalists
can be prosecuted for reporting statements, whether from political parties or
NGOs if they ‘discredit the Republic
of Belarus'.
There
is no government decree on online media regulation, to the relief of press
freedom advocates, although the provision remains in the law. In addition, the
titles Narodnaya Volya and Nasha Niva have returned to Minsk for printing and access to the state distribution
system, after a three-year exile across the Russian
border in Smolensk.
The government has set up a committee to oversee media and invited the BAJ to participate.
All of this follows the lifting of European Union sanctions against Belarus.
"The
key problems of journalism in Belarus
remain unsolved," said Zhanna
Litvina, Chair of the BAJ. "The state retains a monopoly on printed and
electronic media, distribution systems and printing facilities. They regard
media as a part of the official administration that has to perform propaganda
functions."
For
the full BAJ statement "Evaluation of the
situation with media and the freedom of expression in Belarus by the Belarusian Association of Journalists" see www.baj.by
For
more information contact the IFJ at
+32 2 235 2207
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists
in 123 countries worldwide
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- IFJ Calls for Belarus Media Reform as New Law Takes Effect