Letter from A1 Belarus to #KeepItOn coalition regarding business transparency & internet shutdowns in Belarus
As A1 Telekom Austria Group we are deeply concerned by the recently reported and ongoing use of partial and complete Internet shutdowns, as well as targeted content blocking by the Government of Belarus in the aftermath of 2020 Belarusian presidential elections. Nonetheless, our strong commitment towards legal compliance and establishment of transparency in governmental interventions on public internet access do not always include disclosure/publishment of all endeavors to limit or fade out such interventions. A1 Belarus has publicly disclosed that the company is currently experiencing disruption of it's services due to both the decisions of the Belarusian Government and Belarusian state owned providers, which are the sole operators of networks that carry the traffic from and to Belarus... Both national and international, voice and data interconnectivity are under full control of state-owned institutions and outside of A1 Belarus control.
... A1 Telekom Austria Group expresses its utmost regret that the telco industry is becoming a target of such massive interventions and hopes that the Government of Belarus will respect fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and opinion and internet access.