Belarus

Domain name cancellation for 'extremist' media: The government ordered the cancellation of domain names for all independent media listed in its 'Republican List of Extremist Materials.'

All-Belarusian People’s Assembly convened: A new constitutional body, the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, convened for the first time, further expanding Lukashenka's power.

Unified 'extremist' database with Russia: The Belarusian and Russian governments initiated a process to create a 'unified' database of 'extremists,' ensuring websites banned in Russia would also be banned in Belarus.

INeedHelpBY charity declared 'extremist': The INeedHelpBY charity, which delivered groceries to families of political prisoners, was declared an 'extremist' organization, leading to prosecutions of recipients.

YouTube partially blocked: The government briefly and partially blocked YouTube to prevent Belarusians from watching the New Year’s address of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Flickr blocked: The photo-sharing website Flickr was blocked by authorities.

New amendments to Media Law: Expanded criteria for restricting online publications, banned unaccredited public opinion polls, and allowed banning foreign outlets for 'anti-Belarusian' attacks.

Travel ban for politically charged citizens: The government banned citizens facing 'political charges,' leading officials, and law enforcement officers from traveling abroad, effective December 2023.

Legislation on death penalty for treason: Lukashenka signed legislation allowing the death penalty or life imprisonment for treason against the state committed by a government official or military officer.

Amendments to Law on Citizenship: Amendments came into force in July 2023, allowing the government to strip Belarusians of their citizenship for 'extremist activities' or causing 'grave harm to the interests of Belarus,' even while residing abroad.

Patreon blocked: Patreon, a popular crowdfunding platform, was blocked in Belarus.

Decree 368 on user data storage: Lukashenka signed Decree 368, requiring all online services to store user data and provide authorities with direct access to it.

Stricter ISP blocking policies: New legislation required ISPs to adhere more stringently to government blocking policies, checking the list of banned websites every three hours and blocking access within four hours.

Criminal code amended for 'special procedures': Belarusian authorities amended the criminal code to allow 'special procedures,' amounting to criminal proceedings and trials held without the defendant present (in absentia).

Criminal code amended for attempted terrorism: The criminal code was amended to include the death penalty among punishments for attempted terrorism convictions.

Decree on blocking news aggregators: Lukashenka signed a decree allowing the government to block news aggregators that disseminated materials from sites restricted by the Ministry of Information.

Criminal code amendment on unregistered NGOs: An amendment to the criminal code recriminalized individual activities in unregistered NGOs, punishable with up to two years in prison.

Decree expanding Information Security Commission authority: Lukashenka issued a decree expanding the authority of the Commission on Information Security, allowing it to restrict access to domestic and foreign websites and close media outlets.

TUT.by blocked, Zerkalo.io launched and blocked: TUT.by, the country’s most popular online news source, was blocked. Its successor, Zerkalo.io, was launched from outside Belarus and immediately blocked.

Personal data protection law enacted: A new personal data protection law was enacted, giving the OAC power to obtain data from telecommunications service providers.

Amendments to Law on Mass Events: Banned live streaming or real-time coverage of unsanctioned protests, including by media outlets.

Revisions to Law on Countering Extremism: Revisions to the 2007 Law on Countering Extremism came into force, broadening the government’s authority to persecute dissenting views and introducing criminal liability for related offenses.

Revised administrative code enacted: The revised administrative code featured the new offense of 'insult' against a representative of a state organization performing official duty in mass media or online.

Lukashenka declared laws too 'liberal': President Lukashenka declared the country's laws too 'liberal,' leading to a flurry of new repressive legislation.

Nationwide internet shutdown: A nationwide internet shutdown occurred during the presidential election, followed by localized and intermittent outages during protests.

Resolution 850 on commentator identification: Specified that commentators on Belarusian websites should register using their mobile devices, with website owners storing personal data for one year.

Presidential decree on OAC powers: A presidential decree provided the Operations and Analysis Center (OAC) with additional powers related to international cooperation on information security.

Amendments to the Media Law: Empowered the Ministry of Information to warn, suspend, block, and close registered and unregistered online outlets without warning or judicial oversight. Also required online commentators to identify themselves.

Decree No. 187 on video surveillance: Lukashenka issued Decree No. 187, establishing a centralized real-time video-monitoring system.

ISP data retention requirement: All ISPs were required to retain information about their customers’ browsing histories for one year.

VPNs and Tor blocked: Belarus legally blocked the use of VPNs and Tor, though they remained accessible in practice.

Man sentenced for publishing pornographic videos: A 21-year-old Belarusian man was sentenced to 4 years in prison for publishing 8 pornographic videos on his social media page.

Increased pornography cases and crackdown: 136 pornography cases were reported in the first half of 2012. Authorities began cracking down on pornography producers and distributors in August 2012, including searching schoolchildren's phones.

Huawei began supplying video surveillance systems: The Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei started supplying video surveillance systems to the Belarusian government.

SORM surveillance system in use: The Belarusian government began using the Russian-developed System of Operative Investigative Measures (SORM) for direct, automated access to communications data.

Pornography cases reported: 157 cases related to pornography were reported in 2009, indicating active enforcement.

Law of the Republic of Belarus 'On Information, Informatization and Protection of Information' (No. 455-Z) effective: This law provides the legal basis for state control over information resources, including the blocking of websites containing information prohibited or restricted by law.

Law of the Republic of Belarus 'On Mass Media' (No. 427-Z) effective: This law grants the Ministry of Information powers to regulate media content, including online resources, and to restrict access to information deemed harmful.

Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus adopted: The Criminal Code, including Article 343 on pornography, was adopted, with subsequent amendments.

Decree of the Council of Ministers No. 218: Prohibited the import and export of encryption technology without a license from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Commission on Information Security.

Beltelecom established: The state-owned telecommunications company, Beltelecom, was established, which later became dominant in the country's ICT sector.