Makei proposes CIS members states to censor internet

Belarus has proposed to put joint efforts to fight against the dissent on the internet.

The draft agreement was signed by CIS foreign ministers yesterday in Uzbekistan, Kommersant (Russia) reports.

According to the newspaper, the draft agreement provides for both combating cyber crimes and applying joint efforts to prevent attempts of  destabilisation of regimes by means of information technologies.

Foreign ministers of 11 CIS member states met yesterday in Tashkent to discuss the agenda of a meeting of CIS government heads scheduled for May 31 in Minsk.

Belarus was represented by foreign minister Uladzimir Makei at the meeting in Uzbekistan's capital.

The key document approved by the ministers was a draft concept of cooperation in combating cyber crimes involving information technologies. Information security has been among priorities of other post-Soviet organisations – CSTO and  Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – in the last year.

A source in the CIS executive committee says the prime ministers are expected to prepare an action programme on the basis of the concept. It is planned that the programme will include cooperation in combating cyber crimes (first of all in the banking sector), computer hacking and document forgery. The parties do not rule out the possibility of applying joint actions to prevent using the internet for destabilisation of regimes. The initiative to develop this concept was proposed by Belarus.

It should be reminded that human rights activists and international organisation accuse the Belarusian authorities of internet censorship.