Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow)
The New York Times reports that Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) has stopped publishing the posts of a dissident blogger on its website to avoid a government initiated shutdown. The blogger in question is Aleksei A. Navalny. Station editor Aleksei A. Venediktov told a news service that he had been warned by Russia’s general prosecutor “and decided to drop Mr. Navalny’s blog so that the site could remain open.”
The decision comes as Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s eastern borders and the government has blocked at least three websites and a blog accused of encouraging “illegal activities and participation in public events held in violation of the established order.” That quote is an excerpt from Russia’s new law, enacted in early February, which allows the state to shut down “extremist” content. Ekho Moskvy has published the notice that it received from the prosecutor in this regard. Here’s an excerpt based on a Google translation:
“Notification of limited access to information resources, which contains information that contains calls to riots, extremist activities, participation in mass (public) activities carried out in breach of the order. Record Identifier 93-HB In accordance with Article 15.3 of the Federal Law on 27.07.2006 number 149-FZ “On Information, Information Technologies and Protection of Information” to alert you that according to the requirement of the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation dated 13.03.2014 № 27/3-286-2014/Nd6333-14 information placed on the information resource http :/ / www.echo.msk.ru, contains calls to riots, extremist activities or participate in mass (public) activities carried out in breach of the order. Based on the requirements of the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation dated 13.03.2014 № 27/3 -286-2014/Nd6333-14 adopting measures to restrict access to information resources, disseminate the information contained calls to riots, extremist activities or participate in mass (public) activities carried out in violation of the established order, access to information resources ( pages) http://www.echo.msk.ru limited to telecom operators on the territory of the Russian Federation.”
The offending blogger, Aleksei A. Navany, is a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, described by the Wall Street Journal as “the man Vladimir Putin fears most.”
