The Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications (Roskomnadzor) has blocked the OVD-Info* Human Rights Project’s website by a court decision. In addition, the agency demanded that the media project delete accounts in social networks. According to Roskomnadzor, OVD-Info’s* activities are aimed at advocacy of terrorism and extremism. The TASS News Agency reported the department’s position.
UPD, December 26. Activists have launched a petition in support of OVD-Info*, addressed to the judge, prosecutor, head of the Lukhovitsky District and the head of Roskomnadzor in the Central Federal District. Social activists demanded stopping the media project’s persecution. Activists believe that OVD-Info* did not justify terrorism and extremism.
On December 20, the Lukhovitsky District Court of the Moscow Region ordered to block the human rights project’s website. According to the court, OVD-Info* justifies the activities of extremist and terrorist organizations, as well as their participants. Roskomnadzor has listed OVD-Info’s* address on the register of prohibited information by a court decision.
"Given these considerations, the media project’s activities are aimed at advocacy of terrorism and extremism on the territory of the Russian Federation. The administrations of social networks have been sent demands on the need to delete the organization’s accounts," Roskomnadzor commented.
On December 25, OVD-Info* reported that Roskomnadzor had blocked the site. According to the media project, the agency did not notify it about the reason for the blocking. According to OVD-Info*, the court's decision is an act of state censorship in order to stop the media project’s activity. Human rights advocates are going to appeal the agency’s decision.
In addition, on December 25, Roskomnadzor demanded that the TV Rain*, Znak.com and Ves’ma (‘quite, very’) media outlets delete content based on investigations of projects related to Mikhail Khodorkovsky.