From EUobserver · · 1m 10s
EU targets online tormentors of Belarusian and Russian exiles
EU uses Digital Services Act to combat digital repression against exiled Belarusian and Russian activists.
In brief
EU uses Digital Services Act to combat digital repression against exiled Belarusian and Russian activists. EU must enforce Digital Services Act to protect exiled journalists from state-linked online harassment. Originally reported by EUobserver.
Exile warning
In December 2023, a Belarusian KGB representative entered an online seminar organized by the Belarusian Free University and told participants everything was under the service’s control.
Designated extremist
The following month, the online university run from exile was designated an "extremist entity".
Digital repression threat
For people forced into exile, reaching the EU should mean being able to continue work without fear but repression follows them into digital spaces.
Online harassment impact
We can never be sure who is behind a switched-off camera in our online meetings, one interviewee told us.
Transnational repression
Digital transnational repression is a coordinated, evolving strategy that treats independent journalism and civil society as systemic risks.
EU action needed
EU governments should recognize transnational repression as an attack on independent journalism and civil society.
Digital services act
The Digital Services Act requires platforms to assess systemic risks to fundamental rights and take effective, proportionate measures in response.
What it means
EU must enforce Digital Services Act to protect exiled journalists from state-linked online harassment.
