Access to EPDE’s Twitter account has recently been restricted in Russia. Roskomnadzor filed several complaints to Twitter calling for EPDE’s content to be removed, stating that the spreading of information by an “undesirable foreign organization” (UFO) in the Russian Federation violates Russian Federal Laws. EPDE has been listed as an UFO since 2018, which forced the Russian citizen observer organization “Golos” to revoke its membership, as cooperating with an UFO can lead to legal repercussions for Russian citizens, including a prison sentence. The EPDE condemns this decision by Twitter to bow to such requests of authoritarian regimes to restrict freedom of expression and access to information.
The Russian regime is restricting civil society and independent media ahead of the State Duma elections this year, and Twitter should not support these efforts. This harms Twitter’s reputation as a platform on which independent voices are able to share information and report freely in countries where civil rights are being restricted. EPDE calls on Twitter to reverse this decision and stand up for its core value of supporting freedom of expression worldwide.