BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/12/2005

Belarus KGB is again fighting "illegal groups in the country"

Belarus KGB head stated again that he has information about the presence of illegal groups in the country ready to destabilize the situation during the presidential election in 2006. "Works are underway; I won't name the concrete figures, but very many young people got under the influence of destructive forces," the KGB chief Stepan Suharenko told reporters on Friday. Suharenko made the statement in comments on the amendments to the criminal legislation passed by the Belarus Parliament, Itar Tass reported. Suharenko noted that the lawbill that envisions criminal responsibility for discrediting Belarus and its government is a preventive measure against the attempts to seize power by force.

"It is aimed at the protection of national interests. Nobody is seeking to restrict someone's actions, but these actions should be civilized, without damaging national interests," the KGB chief said. When asked in what way the new legislation might affect foreign reporters, Suhorenko answered that if journalists are caught presenting falsified information about Belarus, they will be stripped of accreditation and expelled from the country. As for their Belarus colleagues, they should read the law carefully and think, he said. "These are ordinary measures, which are widely used in world practices, for instance, in the United States. If someone in the U.S. called for a seizure of power, even tougher measures might be taken," he said in comments on the lawbill.

Source:

http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=515