Article 47 prohibits campaign materials from containing “insults or slander in relation to official persons of the Republic of Belarus and other candidates”. A candidate who violates Article 47 can have his or her registration cancelled. Article 49 allows a person to be prosecuted for spreading false data defaming a candidate. Outside the context of a political campaign, a government may limit freedom of expression in order to protect the reputation or rights of others.[23] However, in the context of a political campaign, a law for the protection of the reputation or rights of others cannot be applied to limit, diminish, or suppress a person’s right to free political expression and speech.[24] These articles have been used to de-register a number of candidates in previous elections.
