BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
December 15, 2005
Belarusian lawmakers pass bill restricting Internet dating, online spouse searches
The Associated Press
Belarusian lawmakers have passed legislation that would crack down on Internet dating and online spouse searches in the latest of a series of stringent government controls backed by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Authorities said the measure, which was passed 101-1 by the lower house of parliament Wednesday, was intended to help halt human trafficking in the former Soviet republic. The bill still must be approved by the upper house and signed by Lukashenko before becoming law.
The legislation would place new restrictions on organizations that promote dating or help match potential suitors with spouses, particularly via the Internet.
The bill also would require Belarusian students to receive written permission from the Ministry of Education to study abroad if the length of stay is longer than 30 days. Foreign companies seeking to hire Belarusian students for summer jobs also would need ministry approval.
"The measures are directed at improving the mechanisms guaranteeing effective counteraction to human trafficking -- one of the most dangerous phenomena modern society faces in its development," First Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Shurko said.
Lukashenko has turned his nation of 10 million people an international pariah by stifling dissent, persecuting independent media and opposition parties, and prolonging his power through elections that international organizations say were marred by fraud. The United States has labeled Belarus an "outpost of tyranny" in league with countries such as Myanmar and Cuba.
Earlier this month, the lower house passed legislation that would make it a crime to discredit the state, be a member of the political opposition or an advocate for human rights in Belarus.
Lukashenko was first elected in 1994 after campaigning against corruption. Last year, a referendum passed giving him the right to run for president an indefinite number of times.
A U.S.-educated physicist has been tapped by the opposition to challenge Lukashenko in next year's vote. Many opposition leaders have been jailed or disappeared.
Source:
Archive
- December, 2007
- November, 2007
- October, 2007
- September, 2007
- August, 2007
- July, 2007
- June, 2007
- May, 2007
- April, 2007
- March, 2007
- February, 2007
- January, 2007
- December, 2006
- November, 2006
- October, 2006
- September, 2006
- August, 2006
- July, 2006
- June, 2006
- May, 2006
- April, 2006
- March, 2006
- February, 2006
- January, 2006
- December, 2005
- November, 2005
- October, 2005
- September, 2005
- August, 2005
- July, 2005
- June, 2005
- May, 2005
- April, 2005
- March, 2005
- February, 2005
