‘Golos‘ website blocked in Russia, possibly because of anti-war statement

The website of ‘Golos‘, a movement for the protection of voter rights, was added to the list of blocked sites in Russia. ‘Golos‘ will challenge this decision, explained Grigori Melkonyants, co-chairman of the movement:

"On March 11, numerous reports started coming in that the website of the ‘Golos‘ movement was not available in Russia. Roskomnadzor's access restriction checking service showed that back on March 9, the Prosecutor General's Office ordered that the website www.golosinfo.org be blocked. ‘Golos‘ did not receive any notifications from state authorities regarding the blocking or the reasons for it.

The reference in the blocking notification to Art. 15.3 indicates that this action on behalf of the Prosecutor General's Office may have been provoked by the movement‘s anti-war statement, which the organization posted on its website on February 24. However, the peaceful statement "Golos is against the war" does not contain any calls to mass unrest, extremism, or participation in illegal mass actions. Lawyers working on behalf of ‘Golos‘ will try to discover the official reasons for the blocking of the site, and take measures to restore it.

The Movement considers the blocking of its website as an act of state censorship and an unconstitutional restriction of freedom of expression.

If the site is not be unblocked, Russian citizens will have less access to independent election analysis and methodological materials for observers.

The ‘Golos‘ website continues to be accessible via VPN. ‘Golos‘ accounts in other social networks are also available:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Telegram
• Vkontakte
• Odnoklassniki (Classmates)
• Youtube