Updates

Draft amendments to the Tax Code can strengthen financial sustainability and public accountability of CSOs and media by enabling reimbursable citizen donations; the effectiveness will depend on secondary regulation and implementation details.

Belarus is pushing legal entities to switch from Gmail (or other foreign-based emails) to domestic services. While the new law has not yet entered into force, the practice of requiring an “official organisational email” has already started.

The recent amendments aim to strengthen legal clarity and information security, but raise concerns about the scope of regulation, proportionality, and potential impact on media freedom.

While the law is an important step, CSOs warn that a key commitment to protect human rights defenders' risks being quietly absorbed into a narrower legislative instrument instead of the dedicated law the Government promised.

Recent tax code changes give authorities the right to verify if a legal entity is located at its registered legal address and the power to suspend transactions on its accounts and e-wallets if not.

Authorities continue to crack down on protesters and journalists, recent amendments do little to reduce restrictions.

The proposed criminal law amendments risk limiting public debate and creating a chilling effect on free expression.

The information system for a unified register and communication with state authorities for political parties and other public associations is effective from February 2026.

The proposed National Council for Veteran Entrepreneurship could strengthen representation but raises concerns about mandatory membership and freedom of association.

The changes seek to introduce public consultations to ensure a better balance between public and private interest.

New simplified rules for leasing public property could strengthen youth initiatives and support accommodation for internally displaced persons.

New amendments propose introducing civil and administrative liability for hate speech that falls below the threshold of criminal liability but can potentially restrict freedom of expression.