Censorship Allegations on Online Forum
Some posters in one of the most popular Georgian online discussion forums, www.forum.ge, complained recently about restrictions on the discussion of political issues on the forum.
The forum administration posted an announcement on the site on September 1, after the website resumed following its closure during the armed conflict, reading: “This is a request to everyone: don’t make it in a way that may again trigger a closure of the forum. There is still martial law in the country [it was lifted on September 4] and it is necessary that we all stand by each other and not make any irresponsible statements; there is no need for internal strife. For that reason, I call on everyone to maximally refrain from posts that involve: writing the type of information that would be inappropriate for the state’s interests in the face of the existing situation; statement that may foster an internal split within the country.”
It was then followed by the removal one posting from the political sub-forum, triggering angry responses from some posters. One wrote: “does the resumption of the forum make any sense if we can only write that ‘Misha is cool’?” And another one wrote: “There is no need for [Russian] agents everywhere.”
On September 3, the forum administration posted a brief announcement saying that the sub-forum for discussion of political issues was “temporarily closed down.”
Meanwhile, the Georgian government continues blocking websites in the .ru domain. The move caused many internet users in Georgia to switch to proxy servers, through which it is possible to access Russian websites.
