The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation has struck down the ban imposed on the Bitcoininfo.ru portal. The outlet is one several dozens of crypto-related websites that have been taken offline by the Russian authorities in the past few years. The decision sets a precedent which and is likely to determine the faith of many other online editions. The ruling should also put an end to arbitrary decisions by Russian prosecutors and judges.
Also read: Russian Supreme Court to Decide the Fate of Bitcoin Sites
Setting a Precedent for All Crypto Outlets
Russia’s Supreme Court has effectively annulled a decision to ban access to the Bitcoininfo.ru website, once popular Russian portal containing crypto-related information and news. The ruling sets a precedent for more than 40 sites with similar content taken down by Russian authorities over the last several years.
The access to Bitcoininfo.ru was restricted in the summer of 2016. In July of that year, the Vyborgsky District Court in Saint Petersburg decided that the online edition violates the Law “On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation” by publishing materials about bitcoin.
The leading crypto was described as “electronic currency, which is a virtual means of payment and accumulation”. The information about it was deemed illegal and even “subversive” in regards to “the constitutional order, the authority of the Russian state, and the material welfare of its citizens.”
“There is only one monetary unit in Russia”, the district court said, when asked by the Prosecutor’s Office to ban the website. “Money surrogates”, the term often used by Russian officials when referring to cryptocurrencies, are illegal in the country. After the Supreme Court’s decision, the case will be returned to the City Court of Russia’s Northern Capital to be
