EU urged to wield Digital Services Act against online repression of exiled Belarusian and Russian voices
A new ARTICLE 19 report warns that Belarusian and Russian state actors are targeting exiled journalists and activists online, and calls on the EU to enforce the Digital Services Act to protect them.
ARTICLE 19’s study, titled “404: Safety not found?”, reveals how Belarusian and Russian state-linked actors use digital tools to intimidate journalists, human-rights defenders and civil-society groups living in exile across Europe. Victims report phishing attempts, theft of private communications and coordinated abuse of platform reporting systems that lead to content removal or loss of audience. The authors contend that these incidents are not isolated but part of a coordinated strategy of transnational repression.
They propose that the EU, under the Digital Services Act, should treat such platform-facilitated threats as systemic risks, requiring very large online services to conduct risk assessments, provide robust human review, transparent appeals and timely assistance. Additionally, the report calls for a permanent EU-wide coordination body linking national authorities, cybersecurity responders and NGOs to offer legal, technical and psychological aid to targeted individuals. The analysis stresses that protecting freedom of expression for exiles demands more than physical asylum—it requires concrete digital safeguards.
Why it matters
Exiled journalists and activists remain vulnerable online, and EU action could safeguard free expression across the continent.
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