Roskomnadzor Executes Soviet Era Practice, Blocks Human Rights Sites In Russia

Roskomnadzor , block human rights sites in Russia. (photo credit: officinelegali.eu)

JAKARTA - Russia has blocked the website of the leading human rights monitor OVD-Info. The site is known for frequently tracking political persecution, rights monitoring groups said on Saturday, December 25, as Russian authorities press ahead with a crackdown on dissent in the country.

Russia's Supreme Court is considering whether to close the Memorial rights group, which works with a group that monitors rights abuses in Russia.

OVD-Info, which tracks opposition protests and also provides legal support to victims of political persecution, said Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor had blocked its website earlier this week.

"At this time, we have not received a notification and do not know the reason for the block," the group tweeted as quoted by Gadget 360.

Roskomnadzor's registry of blocked websites shows that the Moscow regional court has issued a decision dated December 20 to "restrict" access to the site.

The website was reportedly inaccessible to AFP journalists in Russia on Saturday.

This year has witnessed a historic crackdown on Russia's opposition and independent media, which began with authorities jailing top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

In September, Russia's Ministry of Justice added OVD-Info to its growing list of "foreign agents", a term with a Soviet-era tone, while opposition groups called the move an "act of political pressure".

Prosecutors also accused rights groups of violating "foreign agents" laws and justifying terrorism by releasing lists of political prisoners that included banned figures such as Navalny.