Parliament in Belarus has approved a draft law that makes slandering the president punishable with up to four years' imprisonment.

The law still has to pass two readings, but in the vote only two members of parliament opposed it.

Since the election of President Alexander Lukashenka in 1994 Belarus has been frequently criticised for its human rights records, and year ago the Council of Europe suspended the country's guest status on the grounds that it was not respecting minimum democratic standards.