On June 13, 2023, our project’s website ceased to respond within Belarusian territory. Attempts to access the website result in a notification stating that access to it has been blocked in accordance with the provisions of the "On Mass Media" Law.
It is highly probable that our website has been included in the list of identifiers for restricted access Internet resources. The list is compiled by the State Telecommunication Inspectorate of the Ministry of Communications and Informatization (Republican Unitary Enterprise for Supervision of Telecommunications "BelGIE").
We would like to emphasize that there is no legal provision for penalties associated with circumventing these blocks or for the distribution and maintenance of materials obtained from such websites by ordinary users.
For reference, as of the beginning of December 2022, there were 10,229 blocked identifiers in the List (one website may have multiple identifiers), with approximately 19% of the resources included on political grounds. As the political crisis intensified in 2020, the list began to be used to block resources associated with opposition forces and civil society platforms. This includes 1,324 Internet resources used for criticizing the regime and resisting the authorities. The List of restricted access includes 491 websites of independent media, their "mirrors", and news aggregators. Virtually all Belarusian independent media outlets have been blocked, and many publications have experienced multiple blockings.
Additionally, the list of blocked resources comprises 76 websites related to the protection of human rights, as well as websites of solidarity funds that provide assistance to those affected by repression.
The website can still be accessed by users from Belarus through the use of a VPN. To access "Right to Defence," you must first connect to a foreign server.
It is highly probable that our website has been included in the list of identifiers for restricted access Internet resources. The list is compiled by the State Telecommunication Inspectorate of the Ministry of Communications and Informatization (Republican Unitary Enterprise for Supervision of Telecommunications "BelGIE").
We would like to emphasize that there is no legal provision for penalties associated with circumventing these blocks or for the distribution and maintenance of materials obtained from such websites by ordinary users.
For reference, as of the beginning of December 2022, there were 10,229 blocked identifiers in the List (one website may have multiple identifiers), with approximately 19% of the resources included on political grounds. As the political crisis intensified in 2020, the list began to be used to block resources associated with opposition forces and civil society platforms. This includes 1,324 Internet resources used for criticizing the regime and resisting the authorities. The List of restricted access includes 491 websites of independent media, their "mirrors", and news aggregators. Virtually all Belarusian independent media outlets have been blocked, and many publications have experienced multiple blockings.
Additionally, the list of blocked resources comprises 76 websites related to the protection of human rights, as well as websites of solidarity funds that provide assistance to those affected by repression.
The website can still be accessed by users from Belarus through the use of a VPN. To access "Right to Defence," you must first connect to a foreign server.
