Unauthorised livestreaming on Facebook is illegal – Belarus Information Minister

‘Unauthorised’ live streams on Facebook should be considered as illegal media products (Art. 22.9 of the Administrative Code), Belarus Information Minister Alyaksandr Karlyukevich believes.

“I uphold the position Ministry of Internal Affairs [that some Facebook streamers should be punished – belsat.eu], and I think that the issue should be more clear-cut in our legislation – it needs refining,” Euroradio quotes the minister.

Over the recent years, there have been cases of journalists who were tried for web streaming on social networks.

On April 17, freelance journalist Kastus Zhukouski received a protocol in the mail. Accused of ‘illegal production and distribution of media products’, he may be heavily fined for web streaming on his own Facebook account. In mid March, the local police raided the house of Homiel-based activist Barys Anikeyeu over allegedly ‘insulting the president’ without giving any reasons or showing a search warrant. They locked Anikeyeu and his family in the house and let no one in. Zhukouski arrived at the scene and started filming.

On April 2, judge Viktoryia Shabunya imposed fines on Belsat TV contributors Hanna Azemsha and Ales Barazenka for their filming near Tsentralny district police department in Minsk and livestreaming on Barazenka’s account on Facebook (later the video was posted on belsat.eu).

ІІ, belsat.eu

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