OSCE promotes discussion in Belarus on Internet media regulation

MINSK, 24 November 2008 - The challenges of Internet media regulation are the focus of a roundtable discussion in Minsk today.

The event, organized by the Ministry of Information, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OSCE Office in Minsk with the support of the Foreign Ministry, brought together state officials, journalists and international experts in the field.

Later this month, the Belarusian Parliament will review possible Internet regulation measures in the context of a new media law, which enters into force in February 2009.

"Internet regulation is an arduous task for any State and a particularly topical matter in Belarus, where the Internet is widely used. We need to develop concrete proposals on how to avoid restricting access to information on the Internet and at the same time adequately take into consideration concerns regarding security as well as ethics," said Ambassador Hans-Jochen Schmidt, the Head of the OSCE Office.

Roland Bless, Director of the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, added: "When it comes to regulation of media-like content on the Internet, we encourage the governments of OSCE participating States to exercise self-restraint. Any over-regulation carries the danger of violating important OSCE commitments on pluralism and the free flow of information."