The bill “On people’s militia” passed the first reading at the meeting of the ninth session of the House of Representatives of the seventh convocation in Belarus.
The Security Council’s Resolution No. 2 on March 6, 2023, accepted the Defense Ministry’s draft law, and on May 23, 2023, the Council of Ministers revised it before sending it to the House of Representatives for consideration.
The document lays out legal grounds for Belarus’ citizens, foreign nationals and stateless persons permanently residing in the country to voluntarily participate in ensuring the observance of martial law in Belarus.
In particular, the bill defines the terms “people’s militia”, “people’s militia unit” and “people’s militia volunteer”.
It governs broad matters pertaining to the financial and material support for the people’s militia, eligibility requirements, and operational guidelines for people’s militia units. Additionally, it outlines the procedures for the creation, selection, and deployment of people’s militia units, as well as their duties and the authority of government officials and agencies to oversee their operations.
The Council of Ministers shall determine the extent of measures to be taken by local executive and administrative bodies to establish people’s militias during times of peace, the process for establishing and dissolving people’s militias, the selection of volunteers and the keeping of records regarding their recruitment, retention, and departure from people’s militias.
The measure outlines the obligations, legal protections, and social security benefits for volunteers.
