How to access OCCRP in countries where the site is blocked

When OCCRP published our 2017 investigation into a US$2.9 billion money laundering scheme we dubbed the “Azerbaijani Laundromat,” many people in Azerbaijan couldn’t read it. The country’s elites, wary of having their corrupt practices exposed, blocked our website in the hope the news would not spread.

That wasn’t the first time we’ve been blocked, nor will it be the last. In order to ensure that everyone, everywhere can read our investigations, we put together this guide on how to browse OCCRP content anonymously — no matter where you live.

Credit: OCCRP

One of many error messages you might see if you live in an area that has blocked OCCRP websites.
Credit: OCCRP

One of many error messages you might see if you live in an area that has blocked OCCRP websites.

Please save this information offline if you think your country might block OCCRP in the future.

Internet Archive’s ‘WayBack Machine’

The Internet Archive (Archive.org) is a nonprofit organization that has saved over 20 years of web pages, including those published as recently as yesterday. The Wayback Machine is a digital library of snapshots of these pages on a given date.

Using the site, you should be able to access all OCCRP pages from our archived homepage, whether you want to browse or find a specific investigation. Check out our website on a date of your choosing.

VPN Services

There are various VPN (virtual private network) services available around the world that can be used to route around internet censorship. Pick one that you believe will handle your data responsibly. Services without a subscription fee are likely profiting from your data.

The NGO Open RuNet has compiled a list of recommended VPNs for people in Russia, where censorship is increasing rapidly, including against OCCRP investigations.

Russian readers should also follow our Russian Telegram channel.

More options

The arms race between repressive states and people dedicated to bypassing censorship isn’t over yet. OCCRP will keep adding new tools to this page as they are rolled out, so you can keep reading our content wherever you are in the world.