BAJ slams domain name seizure as crackdown on independent media
April 9, Pozirk. The regulation allowing authorities to confiscate and sell domain names from media branded extremist violates property rights and the right to receive and disseminate information, Barys Harecki, of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has told Pozirk.
Andrej Paŭlučenka of the Operation and Analytical Center (OAC), a state-run agency in charge of Belarus’ information security, approved the regulation on April 4. The regulation, published on April 9, allows the center to auction domain names within 45 calendar days from the date of seizure.
Authorities illegally seized baj.by, the BAJ website, in early January, Harecki said, noting that the BAJ owned the name and kept paying for its use.
In late December 2023, the OAC seized tut.by and affiliated domain names from the late media tycoon Juryj Zisier’s family.
Other media outlets may face similar problems with the new regulation in force.
The BAJ intends to report domain names seizure to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that regulates domain name use and the United Nations that sponsors global and local forums on Internet governance, Harecki stressed.
- EconomyBelarus’ sanctioned airline adds A330-200 to its fleetThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SportScottish Greens leader wants Belarus banned from World Cup qualifiersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja to take part in EU-Belarus group meeting in BrusselsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsHuman rights defenders label 14 as political prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus’ vehicle sales fall in May after a change in auto loan termsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsFourty-five people have been added to "extremist list"The material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyŁukašenka bans banks from transferring cash to foreign gambling entitiesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- Politics
- SocietyBorder guards, riot police arrest drone operator in Hrodna regionThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- SocietyQueue to enter Poland from Belarus exceeds 1,800 vehiclesThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyFirst summer heatwave reaches BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition leader lauds Sweden’s commitment to democracy in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsIrregular Belarus-EU crossings on the rise in early JuneThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus’ foreign exchange reserves up 2 percent in MayThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyHeavy rain disrupts public transit in MinskThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityLithuanian army: Russia’s hands full in Ukraine, unlikely to use Zapad-2025 for attackThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SocietyUN experts sound alarm over violations of trade unionists’ rights in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyBelarusian Railway announces delays for Russia-bound trainsThe material is available only to POZIRK+