Statement by YABLOKO’s Chairman, December 18, 2013

The State Duma passed the bill which allows the state prosecutors to block websites containing illegal information without the judicial approval in the first reading yesterday.

Among the grounds to block a website are: calls for “mass riots”, “committing “extremist activities”, “kindling conflict between nations or religions” or even participation in “unauthorized actions of protest”.

The present interpretation of the law is such that, for example, hundreds of publications at YABLOKO’s website may give legal grounds for its closure.

We are given to understand what did President Putin mean by the implementation of “traditional” and “conservative” values during his latest State of the Nation address in real terms.

Our authorities don’t understand how the Internet works. They don’t know that the only way to deprive the opposition-minded citizens of the Internet is to ban it partially as in China or completely as in North Korea or Turkmenia.

Non of the factions in the State Duma opposed the bill and it was accepted by United Russia and LDPR’s deputies. Other factions didn’t participate in voting but at the same time expressed loyalty to the Kremlin by several votes of their deputies.

We call all the non-indifferent citizens of Russia, all the opposition political forces to:

1. Give a hard pushback to the bill
2. Altogether develop technical means for coordination of the participants of peaceful protest actions which the authorities won’t be able to stop even theoretically

If Russia’s society doesn’t stop this first big attack on the Internet, it runs the risk to follow China, Turkmenia and North Korea.

YABLOKO Chairman Sergei Mitrokhin

YABLOKO is going to picket the State Duma during the second reading of the bill
We call all the citizens who are concerned about the freedom of Internet, the only freedom in Russia that isn’t violated yet, to protect it by joining our picket.
Friday, December 20, 09.30