Ukrainian government bans World Socialist Web Site

The decision to ban the WSWS is a response to the outpouring of support within Ukraine and internationally for Bogdan Syrotiuk.

Dear reader, On June 3, the Ukrainian government banned the World Socialist Web Site across the country, issuing an order commanding all internet service providers to block access to the WSWS indefinitely.  The order was issued by the Ukrainian State Special Communications Service (SSSCIP), a wing of the country's military-intelligence apparatus. It instructs "providers of electronic communication networks and/or services to implement access restriction (block access) on own recursive DNS servers to domain name (as well as its subdomains) wsws.org." The order has no end date, and will last "until the termination or abolition of martial law in Ukraine." The SSSCIP claims the ban is justified under President Vladimir Zelensky's February 24, 2022, declaration of martial law, which suspended democratic rights across the country.    Order by the Ukrainian State Special Communications Service banning the WSWS The order banning access to the World Socialist Web Site exposes as lies all claims that the US-led war in Ukraine is being waged in the name of "democracy." The reality is Ukraine is a dictatorship where the government is politically dependent on fascists who idolize the Holocaust.  The decision to ban the WSWS is a response to the outpouring of support within Ukraine and internationally for Bogdan Syrotiuk, a 25-year-old socialist internationalist who was arrested by the Zelensky regime on April 25 on trumped-up charges of "high treason" for writing articles for the WSWS, which SBU prosecutors (Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency) deceitfully claim is "Russian propaganda." Syrotiuk and the organization to which he belongs, the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists (YGBL), are Trotskyists and inveterate opponents both of the US/NATO war against Russia as well as the capitalist government of Vladimir Putin.  Sign petition There is compelling evidence that the Ukrainian government's decision to ban the WSWS was made in consultation the Biden administration. The Ukrainian State Special Communications Service—the institution from which the order to ban the WSWS derived—is a long-term partner of the United States government. In July 2022 the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA—a component of DHS) signed an agreement with SSSCIP "to strengthen collaboration on shared cybersecurity priorities" which "expands upon CISA's existing relationship with the government of Ukraine." CISA Director Jen Easterly said the agreement "allowed us to really focus on how do we effectively share information, best practices, exercise together, train together, figure out how to hunt for adversary activity." There is not a shred of evidence to support the claim that Syrotiuk or the WSWS are supporters of the Russian government. On the contrary, the prosecuting documents rely entirely on articles by Syrotiuk and the WSWS denouncing the US/NATO war, exposing the role of fascists in the Ukrainian government, warning of the danger of nuclear escalation, and calling for the unity of the Russian and Ukrainian working class against both governments. The campaign to free Syrotiuk has garnered widespread international attention, and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)—which publishes the WSWS—has established a defense committee to coordinate the global campaign demanding his freedom. A video originally published on Twitter/X by WSWS Editorial Board Chairman David North has been viewed well over 140,000 times, and thousands of people from across the world have signed the petition demanding Syrotiuk's release. Prominent artists, political groups, journalists and public figures internationally have called on the Ukrainian government to liberate Syrotiuk and drop all charges against him. The WSWS urges all readers to sign the petition demanding Syrotiuk's liberation, circulate it on social media, get active in the campaign to oppose the widening assault on freedom of speech, issue statements condemning the prosecution and the decision to ban the WSWS. Lastly, we ask that you donate as much as you can to help the WSWS fight this censorship. Donate Thank you, The World Socialist Web Site   World Socialist Web Site | wsws.org Articles: Copyright © 2024 wsws.org, All rights reserved. Unsubscribe from this list