BBC: Is IT-Country Real, If an Official with a Baton Takes the Floor?

Belarus increases control over the Internet.

Increased Internet control proves oncoming political and economic challenges for the authorities, analysts believe in Minsk, ВВС informs.

Internet Resources as Media

Internet resources are offered to register voluntarily as mass media. Henceforth "Internet edition" is obliged to become a legal entity, with a legal address in the premises of non-residential fund and an editor with the Belarusian passport and not less than five years of work experience in the leading positions in mass-media.

One cannot register at once, but then owners and journalists of such Internet resources have no right to acquisition and protection of information, and are equated to protesters in case of participation in mass events.

New norms introduce mandatory identification of persons who publish information and comments on any (registered or not) sites and forums; mandatory moderation; allow blocking of social networks and restricted access to Internet-sources in extrajudicial order.

Unlike the harsh law, according to civil rights defenders and a number of journalistic organizations, adopted in 2014, amendments to the current law on mass media were made public beforehand and caused intense debates.

Both supporters and critics of amendments sent to the "Parliament" agree: the decision is predetermined.

If the scheme of control and punishment of registered and unregistered media is tested by existing laws, the innovation of identification on forums and social networks is called the stretch of the administrative imagination.

Deputy Minister of Information Pavel Lehki explained in an interview to the largest Belarusian portal TUT.by that Internet commentators would not be deprived of nicknames, but an owner of a portal had to have the true information about them to attract an "anonymous" to responsibility in case of violation of existing laws and moral standards.

"It seems that after the shuffle of the top team in the Information Ministry, no people using the Internet have left. And newsdealers do not get that the change of an information source or a ground for discussion needs only one click, and it's for free, creator of TUT.by Yury Zisser writes on Facebook. - And the requirement of user identification will cause the users' outflow to foreign sites with no restrictions and with an ability to write in Russian."

Developers of amendments to the law on mass media admit that it will require by-laws, regulations and instructions to implement decisions on blocking and obligatory identification of those who write, shoot video or speak.

But dozens of analysts and Internet users following Zisser wonder: what else can be tighten when any site can be legally blocked within a minute without trial in Belarus?

The opposition website "Charter 97" blocked a few months ago, is not officially available to users in Belarus; the blocked "Belarusian Partisan" conceding requirements of the Ministry of Information switched to the .by zone and refused to publish comments.

"The idea to give equal rights and responsibilities to traditional media and Internet media is fair," Yury Zisser writes. - It is not clear why it should be done by increased Internet media control, instead of complete or partial lifting of already existing excessive requirements for traditional media."

"The Matter of State"

The objective of the new law on mass media is "to protect people from a destructive information", Lukashenka stated that at the meeting with leads and collectives of the largest state mass media on April 10.

"The media is a sacred thing. And if the state can hold in hands these media by financing, supporting them, especially I mean Internet media, the state should do it. This is the very matter of the state. And it's a private-owned media source, the agreement between the state and the owner must be obeyed," Lukashenka stressed.

Heads of state bodies and the press controlled by the authorities actively support the position of the Belarusian ruler.

"The bill under consideration is based on world experience. We will have the Internet-environment protected by the law," Information Minister Aliaksandr Karlyukevich stated that in Sovetskaya Belorussia.

Why now?

Minsk analysts believe the increased press control proves of oncoming political and economic challenges for the authorities.

In early April Lukashenka restored the position of Deputy Head on Ideology abolished in February 2017. Former military, lawyer Uladzimir Zheuniak has been set the task to "modernize" the system of ideological work in the country; Zheuniak also supervises mass media and public organizations.

With no obvious reason the head of the Central Election Commission Lidziya Yarmoshyna told journalists about rules for conducting a referendum in Belarus. Although President Lukashenka assured that the time for the referendum had not yet come, the country is actively discussing what changes in the Constitution are being prepared by the authorities.

Experts agree that the issue about the attitude to the death penalty will seek "advice", and call it a bow of Lukashenka towards Europe, which insistently demands the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus - the only European country with this type of punishment.

At the same time, analysts believe, Lukashenka can increase his presidential term and further tighten screws against critics of his command-and-control model.

Media law enforcement falls within the line of the Belarusian authorities, which traditionally had it amended a year or two before the presidential elections.

"It's a completely short-minded decision, because it's not possible to completely restrict the Internet. But it's possible to spoil the image of the Belarusian authorities, although they perform as enemies of the Internet, enemies of freedom of expression, Aliaksandr Klaskouski, political analyst of Belarusian News, points out. - Image deterioration is completely unacceptable, when the leadership of Belarus pathetically announced its focus on the IT-country. Is it real, if an official with a baton takes the floor?"