Session on Belarus-EU relations in the EU Parliament. Photo: www.democraticbelarus.eu

After being banned for four years, two independent newspapers were allowed on the street again in Belarus in December. However, according to Belarusian civil society organisations these and other steps are "primarily cosmetic and reversible"

In a debate meeting held in the European Parliament on 4 March concerning the situation in Belarus and the future of EU-Belarus relations , Belarusian civil society organisations called on the EU to extend the travel ban suspension period of Belarusian high-ranking officials for six months, despite the fact that political progress so far has been largely cosmetic and can be easily reversed.

The representatives of Belarusian NGOs argued, that it is essential to build on the positive dynamics accumulated since the dialogue between EU and the Belarusian government took off, following a decision by the EU to suspend the travel ban on high-ranking Belarusian government officials for six months beginning in October 2008 in an effort to encourage democratic reform and bring Belarusians out of isolation.

Monitoring report spells it out

In a report issued in February by Belarusian civil society organisations to monitor the progress of the dialogue, ongoing restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms  - such as media freedom - continue to cause concern:
"(They) Illustrate that Belarus has not yet begun a meaningful democratisation process", the organisations concluded in the report: "Monitoring report on developments in Belarus, October 2008- January 2009".

According to the report, this is particularly true in regard to the media. In 2005, two independent newspapers; Narodnaya Volya and Nasha Niva, were banned and excluded from the state-controlled newspaper distribution system in Belarus. In connection with the EU dialogue initiative, the newspapers were re-admitted into the distribution system in late November.

In the meantime, however, eleven other registered and independent newspapers still remain banned from the state distribution network, the report concludes. Three newspapers have had their application rejected, while eight others still wait for an official response.

International outcry over new media law

Adding to the concerns raised by Belarusian civil society is the new media law, which was to come in to force on 8 February 2009. According to the new law, all independent newspapers face official re-registration. In the past, the Belarusian government has used the re-registration processes to drastically reduce the number of independent publications, the report states, and hence, Belarusian civil society fears a repetition.

The new law in Belarus caused an international outcry when it was first proposed by the Belarus government been criticized strongly by media rights organisations including the International Federation of journalists as well as international bodies such as the OSCE. Also, the European Commission denounced the adoption of the law.

The report, which can be downloaded here, was compiled by the Committee for Defence of the Repressed, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Cooperating Council for Individual Entrepreneurs, Institute for Privatization and Management, Assembly of Belarusian Prodemocratic NGOs and Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies in cooperation with the Belarusian International Implementers group.