Kremlin blocks critical websites

[JFSOCC]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/13/us-russia-internet-idUSBREA2C21L20140313

 

 

(Reuters) - Russia blocked access to the internet sites of prominent Kremlin foes Alexei Navalny and Garry Kasparov on Thursday under a new law critics say is designed to silence dissent in President Vladimir Putin's third term.

 

The prosecutor general's office ordered Russian internet providers to block Navalny's blog, chess champion and Putin critic Kasparov's internet newspaper and two other sites, grani.ru and ej.ru, state regulator Roskomnadzor said.

 

The move was the latest evidence of what government opponents see as a crackdown on independent media and particularly the internet, a platform for dissenting views in a nation where state channels dominate the airwaves.

 

Ej.ru editor Alexander Ryklin called it "monstrous" and a "direct violation of all the principles of freedom of speech," radio station Ekho Moskvy reported. He said he did not know why the site was blocked.

 

The blockages will increase concern that Putin is seeking to tighten control over Russian society as he faces off against the United States and European Union in a bitter dispute over the future of Ukraine.

 

It came a day after the editor of independent news site Lenta.ru was dismissed after it received a warning over publication of remarks by a Ukrainian far-right leader in what dozens of its staff members alleged was Kremlin censorship.

 

"This is the latest political decision taken as part of the cleansing of the media space," Navalny's spokeswoman Anna Veduta said on Twitter. Another Twitter user called it "Black Thursday".

 

The Kremlin denies allegations of censorship or pressure on the media.

 

Roskomnadzor said Navalny's blog violated the conditions of house arrest recently imposed on the opposition leader, who is serving a five-year suspended sentence on a theft conviction he said was engineered by the Kremlin and may face another trial.

 

The other three sites were ordered blocked because they "contain calls for illegal activity and participation in mass events conducted in violation of the established order," the regulator said.

 

Putin, in power since 2000 as president or prime minister, won a six-year third Kremlin term in 2012 after weathering a series of protests led by Navalny and others and organized largely over the internet.

 

He signed a law late last year allowing prosecutors to order providers to block access to sites deemed to have published calls for participation in demonstrations planned without the consent of the government. It took effect on February 1.

 

I wonder how Oby will apologize for this

[obyknven]

I wonder how Oby will apologize for this

What a problem? Western people can't into proxy? These ban's more just for lulz.

[Monte Carlo]

He won't. It's Western propaganda, obviously.

 

I'm glad Putin has finally emerged from his coffin, cape flapping and fangs gleaming. We all knew what he was, but now at least he's not pretending.

[Malcador]

Hm, doesn't really seem like new behaviour for him.

[BruceVC]

Hm, doesn't really seem like new behaviour for him.

 

What do you think of Putin Malc?

[Keyrock]

Hasn't this sort of thing been going on all along?  I thought this was standard procedure over there.

[Malcador]

Haven't really read much on what he does domestically except have people opposing him roughed up physically rather than just slandered by media, but doesn't seem like a real "Democracy" type of person.  Foreign wise, seems to mainly be opposed to the US  (but that is to be expected) but acts about the same.
 

[Sarex]

Are you guys for real, because I'm laughing my ass off. Did you forget about Snowden and what he said about the NSA censorship of the internet. For ****s sake even the UK is getting its paws on youtube and can now censor anything it deems worthy.

 

Yeah Putin is not a nice guy. No one here is claiming that, but lets get something clear, neither are the rest of the worlds superpowers.

Edited March 14, 2014 by Sarex

[Volourn]

Look at that. Sarex is defending Putin by saying someone else does the same thing. I'll defend OJ Simpson the same way. Who cares if he murdered his ex wife and her friend. Someone else killed their ex wife and their friend as well. *shrug*

 

 

AS for Putin. Not surprising. It's a fact that he doesn't care about Russians at all. He cares about power and control.

[HoonDing]

[Bartimaeus]

Are you guys for real, because I'm laughing my ass off. Did you forget about Snowden and what he said about the NSA censorship of the internet. For ****s sake even the UK is getting its paws on youtube and can now censor anything it deems worthy.

 

Yeah Putin is not a nice guy. No one here is claiming that, but lets get something clear, neither are the rest of the worlds superpowers.

 

Yes...and *so* many people were defending the NSA/USA (and other countries with similar institutions) when the subject being discussed was about them. Pah. As if these forums needed any more whataboutism...

[Sarex]

Ok, now I'm really weirded out. How do Obys post keep appearing out of nowhere. For an example when I first posted in this thread, no Oby post, when I came backe to check it out again, he has a second post in the thread. Are the mods approving his post so they have a delay or what?

 

 

Yes...and *so* many people were defending the NSA/USA (and other countries with similar institutions) when the subject being discussed was about them. Pah. As if these forums needed any more whataboutism...

 

Well, it's more like some people here are going: "Omg, Russia is so corrupt, they censor everything. Putin is so evil.". Then by proxy the rest of the countries are just as corrupt and "evil".

 

I guess what, I am trying to say is, clean up your own back yard before complaining about your neighbors.

Edited March 14, 2014 by Sarex

[Bartimaeus]

Well, it's more like some people here are going: "Omg, Russia is so corrupt, they censor everything. Putin is so evil.". Then by proxy the rest of the countries are just as corrupt and "evil".

 

I guess what, I am trying to say is, clean up your own back yard before complaining about your neighbors.

If we had the individual power to do so, I'm sure a good portion of us would...or at least we would legitimately consider it. I would need to know all the things that the people in charge know - possibly more - before committing to such a decision...hence why you don't often see me condemning or supporting anyone at all, especially on political issues such as this where there is no right solution, anyways - only a "best" solution for furthering whatever your agenda is, (whether you're a Russian "fascist" or an American "patriot", hah). No matter how bad a decision seem at face value, I know I never fully understand the agenda of the person making said decision - the only thing I really know is how it might affect me or things I consider important.

 

Therefore, I might actively oppose a decision and the people making it, knowing that it could very well be the incorrect thing to do when I don't feel like I know enough (and when do you ever REALLY know enough?) but nevertheless try to do the best I can for what I think is most important, but I wouldn't fully believe in it...and I probably wouldn't be trying to construct arguments as to what's most "correct" for these issues to other people, because it's all subjective, depending on what you actually want to happen. Hence why there's no point in arguing with some people, (both on these forums and elsewhere), as what they want to happen is already set in stone, and the arguments are all made up to support a foregone conclusion, instead of a conclusion still constantly being re-evaluated and redetermined.

 

Putin could very well be doing the best thing for furthering his agenda. Hard to say, really - he probably thinks he is, but there are always unintended effects. The libertarian for all in me says that all governments are in the wrong in some way or another regarding most issues, and this one is only an exception in just how much everyone seems to be in the wrong (from, again, a libertarian point of view). The U.S./Western imperialist/hegemonist in me, however, says that there are much more important things to consider...and that I should always be opposed to any action that curtails our authority/power, as those two things should be valued above everything else...including not being guilty of hypocrisy. I don't necessarily follow either points of view.

 

For others here, though...there are only a scant few people (comparatively) that are in charge that directly have the power to actually make change. For the rest of us without that direct influence, we can vote for people we hope will make changes that we want...but given that they're never actually obligated to, well... So failing that, we can complain and condemn. 

 

(P.S. Gosh, I introspect too much - this got really rambly. My apologies.)

Edited March 14, 2014 by Bartimaeus

[213374U]

Ok, now I'm really weirded out. How do Obys post keep appearing out of nowhere. For an example when I first posted in this thread, no Oby post, when I came backe to check it out again, he has a second post in the thread. Are the mods approving his post so they have a delay or what?

 

Oby is likely under "moderated" status. His posts don't appear until they are manually approved by a mod, and when they are they appear where they would have if the user wasn't moderated. It's not a very good system—it's confusing for the rest of us and it's also a double form of punishment to moderated members because it reduces the visibility of their posts.

 

I don't really understand why Oby is under moderation, either. He's mostly harmless.

Edited March 14, 2014 by 213374U

[Valsuelm]

Oby is likely under "moderated" status. His posts don't appear until they are manually approved by a mod, and when they are they appear where they would have if the user wasn't moderated. It's not a very good system—it's confusing for the rest of us and it's also a double form of punishment to moderated members because it reduces the visibility of their posts.

 

I don't really understand why Oby is under moderation, either. He's mostly harmless.

 

 

If that's actually a form of moderation on this forum and what's going on then I protest as yes, it messes with everyone reading the thread, and is not a good form of moderation.

[obyknven]

 

Ok, now I'm really weirded out. How do Obys post keep appearing out of nowhere. For an example when I first posted in this thread, no Oby post, when I came backe to check it out again, he has a second post in the thread. Are the mods approving his post so they have a delay or what?

 

Oby is likely under "moderated" status. His posts don't appear until they are manually approved by a mod, and when they are they appear where they would have if the user wasn't moderated. It's not a very good system—it's confusing for the rest of us and it's also a double form of punishment to moderated members because it reduces the visibility of their posts.

 

I don't really understand why Oby is under moderation, either. He's mostly harmless.

 

It's Western freedom of speech looks like. Censorship everywhere.

[rjshae]

 

Oh dear god no. Whatever are we going to do now?

[213374U]

 

I wonder how Oby will apologize for this

What a problem? Western people can't into proxy? These ban's more just for lulz.

 

 

That's bull**** and you know it. This is in application of a law passed in December that allows the gov't to restrict access to websites without a judicial warrant. It is a textbook case of political repression, regardless of what "the norm" is for suppressing dissent elsewhere. It's also a tacit affirmation by the Kremlin that Kasparov is a political figure of sufficient weight to warrant repression.

[Volourn]

ie. Putin is scared of him but isn't ready to charge him with bogus crimes or order an assassination... yet.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I don't really understand why Oby is under moderation, either. He's mostly harmless.

In the old attractive women thread, some images he posted resulted in some members being bombarded with malware.

 

Wals is the one who warned everyone, so perhaps he could go more into detail about it.

[Malcador]

I don't really understand why Oby is under moderation, either. He's mostly harmless.

I don't either, everyone gets their panties in a bunch over the stuff he posts, though.

[HoonDing]

 

Kasparov's always been a clown outside the chess board.

[Mor]

Are you guys for real, because I'm laughing my ass off. Did you forget about Snowden and what he said about the NSA censorship of the internet. For ****s sake even the UK is getting its paws on youtube and can now censor anything it deems worthy.

huh? unless you can explain how silencing critics of President Putin is the same as what you said, your post makes sense only if you like fart jokes and making a brain fart make you happy :/

[Walsingham]

If you equate stopping beheading videos and pro-terrorist propaganda with silencing every single independent news channel in a given region then I think you need a bit more fresh air.

[Sarex]

If you equate stopping beheading videos and pro-terrorist propaganda with silencing every single independent news channel in a given region then I think you need a bit more fresh air.

 

Anyone with two peanuts in their head knows that they will use it for more then that.