Belarus restricts access to websites primarily to stop trade in narcotics

In most cases access to websites in Belarus has been restricted to stop trade in illegal drugs, BelTA learned from Yuri Bebeshko, Deputy Head of the Law and Human Resources Office of the Belarusian Information Ministry, during the first media conference of the Eastern Partnership Initiative in Riga on 20 May.

As of 1 May the Belarusian Information Ministry had 18 websites on the restricted access list. Fifteen websites were used to spread information about ways to acquire and use narcotic substances, one website advertised child pornography, and two websites used profanities.

Yuri Bebeshko underlined that Belarus is often accused of state monopoly over mass media, however, such monopoly is prohibited by Belarusian laws. “The practical absence of such monopoly is confirmed by the correlation of state and private mass media. Private mass media constitute 70% of the total number of registered printed mass media,” noted the representative of the Belarusian Information Ministry. “Belarus has never closed its information space. Over 6,000 foreign magazines and newspapers are freely distributed in Belarus,” he added.

The first media conference of the Eastern Partnership Initiative took place in Riga upon the initiative of the Latvian presidency in the European Union on the eve of the EaP summit. The organizers believe that discussions between state and private mass media from different countries, including Eastern Partnership ones, are extremely important. Proposals voiced during the media conference will be submitted for consideration of participants of the Eastern Partnership summit.