It is still unknown who put the website of HRC “Viasna” on the black list
The appeals to the state agencies which form the list of banned sites have yielded no results. The Ministry of Communications, in particular, reported that it didn't possess such information as far as the website spring96.org was not registered in the national segment of the Internet.
In 2011, during the conference "Businees Internet", the information about the blacklisted websites was voiced. The list of the websites with a limited access is formed by the Operational and Analytical Center under the President of the Republic of Belarus (OAC) in accordance with the decree No. 11/1 of 26 June 2010.
The "black list" included the websites of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", "Charter'97", "Belarusian Partisan", as well as the e-currency exchanger "Prakapovich" and the blog of Yauhen Lipkovich in livejournal.
Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center " Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich addressed the Operative Analytical Center, which adopted the regulation restricting the access of Internet users to specific sites, and to the Belarusian State Inspection on Electric Communications which directly generates the lists of restricted access. However, he didn't manage to find who put the website spring96.org on the “black list”.
The Ministry of Communications and Informatization responded to Mr. Stefanovich in the following way: "The Internet site spring96.org is not registered in the national segment of the Internet. The Ministry of Communications Ministry does not possess information on restricting access to the websites that are not registered in the national segment of the Internet".
According to the regulation, access is limited to the information, the content of which is aimed at carrying out extremist activity, trafficking in arms, ammunition, explosives, explosive, radioactive, toxic, strong, poisonous, toxic substances, narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, illegal migration and facilitating trafficking, distribution of pornographic materials; propaganda of violence, cruelty and other acts prohibited by law.
Valiantsin Stefanovich believes that the website of HRC “Viasna” does not fall under any of the aforementioned provisions. "It is unclear why state agencies conceal who initiated putting spring96.org site on the" black list," says the human rights activist.
According to the “European Radio for Belarus” the list includes more than 80 websites.
