A Russian court based in the capital Moscow rejected on Monday, March 21, the intentions of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, that the charges of “terrorism” that he faces in that country be dismissed.
It is an important case in the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as it could lead to the social media giant going out of business in the country ruled by Vladimir Putin.
According to information from the news agency TASSMeta had asked for more “more time” to prepare its defense and, at the same time, filed an appeal before the Russian court to continue its activity despite the request of the state prosecutors promoted by the media control organizations.
All this was denied, so the case continues its course and Meta is on the verge of having to withdraw from that market.
According to information from Interfax, Victoria Shagina, a Meta Platforms lawyer, said that Facebook had not engaged in terrorist activities and that they had not allowed “Russophobic” posts in their content.
Russia has already banned Facebook on its territory for restricting access to Russian media.
Instagram, meanwhile, was blocked after Meta said he was going to let social networks in Ukraine publish messages urging violence against Putin and against the Moscow army.
Russia says that what is happening in Ukraine is a “military operation of a special nature” that seeks to disarm that country and to protect it from the advance of Nazism.
Since the invasion took place on February 24, Meta Platforms has relaxed its conditions on the prohibition of calls for the death of heads of state and, at the same time, said that its guidance should not be interpreted as condoning violence against Russians. civilians.
However, the decision was taken by Russia as an opening for acts of “Russophobia”, which has angered the authorities.
From then on, the Russian prosecutor’s office, at the behest of the Putin government, wants to label Facebook a “terrorist organization”, something that has only been applied against groups such as the Taliban and the Islamic State.
What will happen to WhatsApp in Russia
The TASS agency says that, according to sources from the prosecution, the government does not want to ban WhatsApp on Russian territory, but that it will prevent Meta from doing business in that country with the instant messaging application.
Should Meta be deemed extremist, it is unclear whether or not WhatsApp will be able to continue operating in Russia.
Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor, which enabled the blocking of Facebook and Instagram, said it was in favor of banning “all Meta activity”, which clearly includes WhatsApp.
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