Roskomnadzor blocks ‘Team 29’ website in Russia

Russia’s federal censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, has ordered Internet providers to block access to the “Team 29” website.

Team 29 is an informal association of lawyers, attorneys, and journalists who specialize in criminal cases involving charges of high treason, divulging state secrets, or espionage.

The site was blocked in Russia on the basis of a decision handed down by the Attorney General’s Office on July 15. 

According to Team 29, the censorship agency maintains that their site posted content from the Prague-based NGO “Spolecnost Svobody Informace” (Freedom of Information Society), which Russia designated as an “undesirable organization” on June 29, 2021.

However, Team 29 assures that there isn’t any of the Czech organization’s content on their website. “We don’t cooperate with this organization, fulfilling the requirements of the law. We may not like the legislation, but we abide by it,” Team 29 underscored in a statement.

We regard this decision from the Attorney General as an act of unprecedented political pressure on human rights institutions. Team 29 will appeal the block as it is blatantly illegal.