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Citizens received at governmental agencies should not use recording equipment, suggests deputy justice minister

Citizens received at governmental agencies over personal matters should not use audio or video equipment to record the meeting, Deputy Justice Minister Ala Bodak said at a news conference held in Minsk on Wednesday to discuss a new version of the Law On Applications by Citizens and Legal Entities, which took effect on January 22, BelaPAN said.

The law does not specify the matter, she acknowledged. “But I believe that a citizen may not use the equipment.”

At the same time, Ms. Bodak said, the law provides for the right of governmental agencies to record meetings with citizens, specifying that a person should be warned about the use of recording equipment beforehand. “The law says that a citizen should be notified of the use of technical equipment before coming for a meeting. So, the citizen knows that some additional devices will be used there, and if he objects to this he may refuse to come.”

The Law On Applications by Citizens and Legal Entities was adopted as far back as 1996, said Ms. Bodak. “Increased attention has been paid to the matter since 2005. The citizens’ right to appeal to governmental agencies is one of their most important constitutional rights.”

The deputy minister added that governmental agencies had recently started to accept online applications from individuals and legal entities. Online applications filed on a day off are registered on the first working day after it, she said. “Life will guide us. It is information technologies after all, and they develop constantly. Perhaps, we will have to correct something.”