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OSCE media watchdog criticizes Belarus' Media Law

Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE's representative on freedom of the media, has criticized Belarus' Media Law in his report on print media registration practices, BelaPAN reported.

In particular, the OSCE media watchdog has slammed Article 11 of the law that "requires outlets to re-register in the event of changes in the founder's details or in the name of the publication, or in the event of two government decisions in one year to halt the activities of the publication." "Outlets are required not just to submit the details of the changes in order to that the data may be updated but instead are required to repeat the whole registration process, which can take months, during which time they may not publish," the report reads.

Mr. Haraszti refers to Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 2005 decree that banned private publications from using the word "Belarusian" in their names, which forced many newspapers to get re-registration.

The OSCE media watchdog warns that "the existence of arbitrary registration and re-registration requirements can threaten critical media at any point in time," explaining that "this threat is particularly onerous in the lead up to a significant public event, such as a general election."

Mr. Haraszti recommends scrapping the "arbitrary system of permissive registration" for the print press. "The possibility to refuse registration of print press outlets based on grounds of content, subject matter or intended audience should be removed," the report says. "Restrictions on content, where applicable, should be provided for in general legal provisions and not used as a basis to deny the existence of a newspaper."