New amendments to legislation: KGB gets unlimited powers
New amendments are to tighten conditions for public and political activity in Belarus.
This is provided for by the draft law “On
amendments to the law of the Republic of Belarus on bodies of state security of
the Republic of Belarus”.
The text of the document was published on the website of the National Center of
Legal Information. The document was adopted by the House of Representatives and
approved by the Council of the Republic on 3 October 2011.
The draft law confirms amendments to a number of laws forbidding any protests
without permission and imposing criminal responsibility for foreign financing
of NGOs.
Besides, the draft law bans “activity of non-governmental organizations and public
unions aimed at granting benefits and privileges to citizens of Belarus by
foreign states in connection with their political and religious views or
nationality in violation of the law”.
The draft law also says that “republican and local NGOs and unions cannot hold
cash, precious metals or other valuables in banks and non-bank credit companies
located in foreign states”.
One of the amendments reads: “Money or other property received by political
parties, unions and legal bodies, who created them, from the sources forbidden
by the present article shall be delivered to the state budget. In case of a
refusal to voluntary give these means to the state, they are recovered for the
state treasury through judicial proceedings on the request of the governmental
bodies responsible for monitoring the proper use of foreign grant aid”.
A number of amendments to the Criminal Code were made, including article 356
“Treason”, article 358 “Espionage”.
Articles of the Criminal Code regarding foreign grant aid, receiving foreign
grant aid in violation of Belarusian laws, violation of order of organizing and
holding mass events were amended.
Besides, the website of the National Center of Legal Information published a draft law introduced by the Council of Ministers to the parliament. The draft law “On amendments to the law of the Republic of Belarus on bodies of state security of the Republic of Belarus” is to extend power of the State Security Committee.
