13 November 2007, 20:40
Internet providers in Ingushetia refrain from commenting on the blockage of the opposition site
The ZAO "ITT" and OOO "Telecom", the biggest internet providers in Ingushetia, whose services are used by virtually all republic's internet clubs and the overwhelming majority of private users, give no comments on the situation with blocking the opposition site "Ingushetia.ru".
"What do we have to do with it if the site does not operate. They must have some technical problems there," responded representatives of the ZAO "ITT" to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Local human rights activists are also surprised by the events around the internet site.
"It is difficult to give an assessment to the events. We still have no precise information on who may be behind the provocation. It may well be that some individual hackers have interfered," they assume.
The "Ingushetia.ru" site reported that, on November 12, Ibraghim Albakov, director of the OOO "Telecom", and Iles Dzaurov, his programmer, were summoned to Musa Medov, RI minister of internal affairs. They were requested to block the access of internet users to the "Ingushetia.ru" site.
As of 23.00, when attempting to open the site, the users were automatically referred to some pornographic site. According to the periodical, there is information that, on the same day, managers of other internet providers in Ingushetia were summoned to the MIA minister and subjected to appropriate "treatment".
Later, information came through that the mobile telephone operators in Ingushetia ("Beeline", "Megaphone" and "МТS") had also received an instruction to block the "Ingushetia.ru" site from viewing through cell telephones.
Magomed Yevloyev, the site owner, thinks that the main reason for closing his site in Ingushetia is the fear of President Murat Zyazikov that people may learn the truth about the situation in the republic.
Author: Timur Khamkhoyev, CK correspondent
