Facebook blocks Adil Soz Foundation’s page, but it remains accessible abroad

On 27 October, Facebook temporarily blocked the official page of the International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” over an alleged infringement of third-party copyright.

Before that, the platform removed our 6 October publication, “Journalists risk losing accreditation for violating government agencies’ regulations.”

The article reported on a warning received by Ulysmedia.kz after journalist Asem Gumarova asked a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs questions that fell outside the stated agenda of a briefing at the Quryltai. A repeated violation could have resulted in her losing accreditation for six months. Adil Soz lawyer Sergei Utkin also explained why, in his view, such restrictions contradict the Law “On Mass Media”.

At the same time, an unusual circumstance emerged: the Foundation’s page remains accessible abroad. We asked foreign colleagues to check the page, and they confirmed that they were still able to view it. This suggests that the restriction may apply only within Kazakhstan. However, the reasons for the difference in access remain unclear.

Facebook did not specify which copyright had allegedly been infringed.

Kazakhstani journalists, media outlets and the Legal Media Center have previously faced similar restrictions. Adil Soz is concerned about the situation and has submitted an appeal to Meta asking it to explain the reasons for the restriction and restore full access to the page.

We continue our work and publish information about violations of freedom of expression on adilsoz.kz and the Foundation’s other platforms.