21 October 2008, 12:06
Authorities of Georgia unblock Runet
The authorities of Georgia have opened access to Russian Internet websites, which were blocked in August after the start of the military conflict in South Ossetia.
According to the "Echo Moskvy" Radio, the Georgian providers have stated that the disconnection of Russian websites was not their initiative.
The "Georgia Online" reports that the blocking of Russian Internet pages from the "Ru" domain, which had been named by official spokesmen of Georgian authorities to be a part of the information war on Russia, proved to be inefficient, since many Internet users in Georgia could get to the blocked Russian web pages via the so-called "proxy" servers.
At the same time, the Russian TV-channels, which broadcast news programmes, are still blocked in Georgia. However, Russian channels are accessible for those who have satellite antennas. It is remarkable that the majority of the viewers use cable broadcasting companies, not satellite antennas.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (MFA) continues to insist that Russian mass media are stirring up "the anti-Georgian hysteria". This was stated by the MFA's Department for Press and Information in response to messages of Russian media about attacks by the Georgian party and kidnappings in the conflict zones in the Caucasus, the "News-Georgia" Agency reports.
