Commentary to Decree No. 477 of 17 October 2013 

    President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed Decree No. 477 “Concerning media coverage during the 2014 IIHF World Championship”.

    The document stipulates that foreign media representatives will be accredited to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). In order to simplify the coverage of the 2014 IIHF World Championship events foreign media accreditation with the Belarusian Foreign Ministry will not be required.

    This procedure will be central to enabling visa-free stay for foreign journalists in Belarus and to their fruitful work to cover the 2014 IIHF World Championship events. Moreover, this procedure is designed to confirm the openness of the Belarusian state and its adherence to international norms and principles when holding such types of sporting events.

    However, the decree stipulates that, in line with Belarusian laws, if media spread information messages and (or) materials not related to the 2014 IIHF World Championship from 25 April to 31 May 2014, they will have to obtain the Foreign Ministry accreditation in order to continue their activities in Belarus.

    The decree shall enter into force after its official publication.