Zisser: “Pyatkevich promised not to licence Internet in the nearest time”
19- 15.12.2009, 13:30
One of the founders of the Internet portal TUT.by expressed his concern over preparation of the draft decree restricting activity of Belarusian news websites.
Yury Zisser, one of the founders of the portal TUT.by, director of Nadezhnye Programmy company, gave an interview to Radio Svaboda and commented on the Draft Decree on Measures for Revising Use of the National Segment of the World Wide Web.
He noted that the document had been worked out without any consultations with the Internet community.
“The document appeared all of s sudden, it came as a surprise,” Yury Zisser says. “Moreover, deputy head of Lukashenka’s Administration Natallya Pyatkevich said a year ago: licensing of the Internet wouldn’t be considered in the nearest time. But something has changed and the law may come into force head of the presidential elections. There are some positive aspects, internet media need accreditation, real, not virtual, rights. This is a plus. But the licence may harmful, too, it is obvious.”
Yury Zisser notes that news websites may be banned in the same way as dating sites were forbidden.
“This is only a draft law. Our experience show that the final document may differ from the draft in great degree. An absolutely different document may be adopted. Not much is clear now. Much depends on how the measures would be implemented. The document says mainly about the Government, but the Council of Ministers can adopt decisions, which do not affect anybody, but at the same time it can take harsh decisions, as it was with laws on human trafficking. Dating sites were forbidden, so, everything can be forbidden. Unfortunately, this document was worked out in secret, it is not discussed with anybody, it may be prepared by people who have no respect to the Internet. In this case consequences may be very bad,” the expert says.
We remind that the document causing a stir among Internet users appeared on the Internet on December 14. It is formed as a draft decree on Measures for Revising Use of the National Segment of the World Wide Web. It provides for significant restriction of activity of news websites.
