# EU targets online tormentors of Belarusian and Russian exiles

> EU uses Digital Services Act to combat digital repression against exiled Belarusian and Russian activists.
- Title: EU targets online tormentors of Belarusian and Russian exiles
- Summary: EU uses Digital Services Act to combat digital repression against exiled Belarusian and Russian activists. EU must enforce Digital Services Act to protect…
- Keywords: digital services act, belarusian exiles, russian exiles, transnational repression, online harassment, human rights, politics, world, targets, online, tormentors, Belarusian
- Source: EUobserver — https://euobserver.com/240764/eu-should-use-digital-services-act-against-online-tormentors-of-belarusian-and-russian-exiles-in-europe
- Published: 2026-10-11T08:38:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: digital services act, belarusian exiles, russian exiles, transnational repression, eu, online harassment, human rights, politics, world
## 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.
## Key takeaway

EU must enforce Digital Services Act to protect exiled journalists from state-linked online harassment.