A court in Russia’s Perm region has decided to block a number
of websites describing how to exchange cryptocurrency for fiat cash.
Local prosecutors claim the dissemination of this type of information is
against the law in Russia as it may facilitate the laundering of
illicit funds.
Kungur City Court Blocks Crypto-Related Sites
The Kungur City Court in the Russian Perm Krai region has upheld a
request filed by the Beryozovsky District Prosecutor’s Office to take
down several internet sites detailing various methods of cashing out
bitcoin. The prosecutors who discovered the crypto platforms insist the
publishing of such content violates Russian legislation on combating the
legalization of crime proceeds.
“It was established that information on methods of cashing out the
Bitcoin cryptocurrency was freely available for viewing and using on
certain Internet resources,” a press release explained, further noting:
Taking into account that the legislation considers the
exchange of virtual currencies as a potential involvement in dubious
transactions, the prosecutor sent an administrative statement of claim
to the court demanding to restrict access to this information.
The number of the affected websites as well as their domain names were not disclosed, but Forklog quoted
the prosecutor’s office saying that five such requests have been
submitted since the beginning of the year. One of the claims, according
to the publication, concerns a Youtube video describing ways of
exchanging bitcoin for Russian rubles.
Russia’s Crackdown on Bitcoin Websites Continues
Access to the websites subject to Kungur City Court’s latest decision
will be restricted after the ruling enters into force, the Perm
Prosecutor’s Office said without providing any more details. The banned
sites will join a growing number of crypto-related outlets that have
been taken down by Russian authorities in the past few years.
Last August, the Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor blocked a crypto exchange monitoring website, Bestchange.ru, the third time the platform went offline as Bitcoin.com News reported.
The popular site helps Russian-speaking users to find the best
crypto-fiat exchange rates available. Roskomnadzor’s attempts to
blacklist the aggregator started back in 2017.
In March 2020, the agency added
five crypto websites to its register of banned internet sources. The
platforms were offering various services, from crypto exchange to mobile
top-ups with bitcoin, and one of them was an information portal. The forum section of the crypto news outlet Bits.media was also targeted.
Crypto website operators have in the past successfully challenged
some of these censorship measures in Russian courts. In March 2018, the
Saint Petersburg City Court struck down
a ban on 40 websites publishing information and offering services
related to cryptocurrencies. In April of that year, the Supreme Court of
the Russian Federation overturned
a decision to block the Bitcoininfo.ru portal. In May 2019,
Roskomnadzor was forced to remove Bestchange.ru from its blacklist,
after prosecutors gave up efforts to block the website.
source link : https://news.bitcoin.com/russian-court-bans-websites-explaining-how-to-trade-bitcoin/
