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Participants at international forum on democratization of Belarus’ media sector suggest establishing European Monitoring Council on Media in Belarus

Participants at last week’s international forum on the democratization of Belarus’ media sector in Warsaw suggested establishing a European Monitoring Council on Media in Belarus.

The forum was organized by the Council of Europe’s Conference of International Non-governmental Organizations and the Casimir Pulaski Foundation and hosted by the Polish parliament.

In a resolution adopted on June 7, participants suggested inviting representatives of various European institutions, such as the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe’s Conference of International Non-governmental Organizations, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to participate in the activities of the Council as its honorary members.

“It is deeply regretful that there is no overall improvement of the situation in the field of media and the freedom of expression in Belarus,” the resolution says. “The pressures on and persecution of structures of civil society, including independent press and journalists, continue. The authorities preserve a monopoly on the majority of printed and electronic media as well as the system of press printing and distribution. State-owned mass media receive financial support from state and local budgets and they are used for propaganda of the ideology of the authorities.”

“The policy of Belarusian authorities to independent media remains severe,” the resolution says. “The core of this policy is exclusion of independent media from legal information field, primarily by economic discrimination and limitation of journalists’ access to the sources of information.”

The forum participants express concern that Belarus’ judiciary and law-enforcement agencies are used for the “persecution of the media and journalists.” “Searches in journalists’ flats and office premises on 27 March, 2008, provided further evidence of the interference of Belarusian special services in the activities of media,” the resolution says.

The forum participants urge the Belarusian authorities “to stop using the articles of the Criminal Code to restrict the right to seek, receive and impart information; reform national media legislation and bring it in accordance with international standards; cease administrative persecution of journalists who cover mass public activity, especially during the electoral process; abolish the state monopoly in the fields of media, printing, distribution system, radio and TV broadcasting; provide equal economic conditions for media outlets of different types of ownership, promoting the development of civilized media market; return immediately the belongings confiscated during the searches in journalists’ flats.”

The resolution calls on the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to “support the establishment of European Monitoring Council on Media in Belarus; contribute to an efficient legal defense system for journalists, working for independent media; continue with efforts for training and support to journalists in European media standards.”