український / русский / english / français /
Oh bury me, then rise ye up
And break your heavy chains
And water with the tyrants’ blood
The freedom you have gained.
And in the great new family,
The family of the free,
With softly spoken, kindly word
Remember also me.
Testament, Taras Shevchenko, 1845
(translated by John Weir)
For ten years eQualitie has stood firmly in defence of digital human rights. Throughout this time, we strive to create technology and offer services that protect freedom of expression and association online. To help us stay balanced in achieving this mission we have purposely stayed out of politics, debates or public declarations.
But, as the Russian army is invading and destroying Ukrainian cities, killing innocent civilians and hiding the truth from its own population – we choose to stand with Ukrainians who are defending their homes and families. We mourn the lives already lost and the destruction of Ukrainian cities and its cultural heritage. We also choose to stand with Russian anti-war protesters , arrested in their thousands for trying to stop the annihilation of morality in their country. This is an international struggle for human dignity, freedom and the right to life.
To this effect, we have launched technical and capacity building efforts focused on supporting Ukrainian civil society and territorial defences, as well as supporting activities in Russia that preserve online communities and those challenging the war efforts. Some of this work has already begun:
- Emergency communications network in Ukraine https://dcomm.net.ua
- Decentralized communications network in Russia https://start.chatv3.ru
- Technical and financial assistance to Ukrainian ISPs
- Digital security training and capacity building for Ukrainian civil society and civic territorial defence forces
- Free website protection and hosting for any Ukrainian civil society, humanitarian or business organization
Why now? Simply because maintaining our neutrality will not sufficiently address the injustice and undue suffering caused by the Russian government and army on the people of Ukraine.
We believe that Ukraine will win, their people will rise from the ashes of this conflict, stronger in spirit and solidarity. And we will make every effort to help them in this struggle!
