Strict Law on Mass Media going into effect

On February 8, 2009, the Law on Mass Media is coming into force.

As press service of the Ministry of Information tells, “according to article 54 of the Law, all mass media, registered in the Ministry of Information before February 8, 2009, must re-register according to the requirements of the Law within a year till February 8, 2010. A notice about this will be placed on the website of the Ministry of Information.

Now, the section Regulatory Documents on the website contains the Law on Mass Media, and regulatory legal acts, worked out in execution of the Law. Special attention should be paid to item 4.9 of article 34 of the Law, obliging a journalist to show his or her ID card on demand when performing duties.

A form of an ID card of a journalist of mass media, registered in the Republic of Belarus, is established by a provision of the Ministry of Information #12 of October 6, 2008, and placed on the website.

It should be reminded that in August 2008, Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed new Law on Mass Media, which refers the Internet to mass media for the first time. According to the Law Internet-media must be controlled by the Council of Ministers.

According to the Law, “mass media spread via the Internet” must be registered. This registration and activity of mass media will be regulated not by laws, but by resolutions of the Council of Ministers of Belarus. Work of any unregistered Internet-media can be stopped.