Lukashenko approves amendments to legislation on protection of sovereignty, constitutional system

The law amends the law on the state of emergency. In line with the Constitution and this law in addition to natural calamities and catastrophes the reasons for declaring the state of emergency include riots accompanied by violence or the threat of violence from a group of individuals and organizations, which endangers lives and health of people, the territorial integrity and the existence of the state. There was no clear definition of rioting in the past. It led to the controversial understanding of reasons for declaring a state of emergency particularly if riots do not look like mass-scale ones.

This is why the law signed by the head of state describes riots as attempts to forcibly change the constitutional system, capture or assume authority, as an armed insurrection, mass riots, interethnic and interreligious conflicts, which are accompanied by violent actions that pose an immediate threat to the lives and safety of citizens.

The new law also clarifies the list of possible extraordinary measures and temporary restrictions, which can be introduced when the state of emergency is declared. This norm was worked out taking into account the experience of response to riots in 2020. Thus, the possible extraordinary measures and temporary restrictions now include the suspension of publication and distribution of mass media products (including foreign ones), the introduction of a special procedure for reporter accreditation, the restriction on access to Internet resources and online media. The authority of the commandant of the territory where the state of emergency is introduced is clarified and expanded by the law.

The list of law enforcement, security, and defense bodies, which are employed to enforce the state of emergency, has been expanded to include paramilitary organizations. It will allow most effectively and completely legally deploy forces and assets of the Emergencies Ministry, the Investigative Committee, the State Forensic Examination Committee, and the Financial Investigations Department. The tasks such bodies may be assigned now include prevention and suppression of riots, protection of public order and public security.

Apart from that, the Belarusian army can now be used to accomplish tasks as part of the state response system in accordance with the law on the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. Taking into account the accumulated practical experience the law specifies the army's tasks as part of this system: fight against terrorism, protection of public security, suppression of mass riots, protection of guarded persons, secure facilities and installations.

Apart from that, provisions of Belarus president ordinance No. 2 of 9 May 2021 on protecting the sovereignty and the constitutional system have been implemented into the law on the state of emergency and the law on the state of martial law.