According to Business Insider and Reuters, the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, has appealed a Moscow court order to erase content about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Court Said Wikipedia Should Remove Articles About the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Wikimedia Foundation said in a statement that it was fined 5 million roubles ($88,000) by Moscow court for refusing to remove what it called "disinformation" from Russian-language Wikipedia articles on the war, including "Russian Invasions of Ukraine (2022)," "Battle for Kyiv," "War Crimes during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine," "Shelling of Hospital in Mariupol," and "Bombing of the Mariupol Theater."
The Foundation was prosecuted under a law about the failure to delete banned information. Reuters mentioned that Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, brought up the case.
Wikipedia Appealed to the Russian Court
The Wikipedia appeal, which was submitted on June 6 and the contents of which were revealed on Monday, claims that removing information violates human rights. It claimed that Russia had no control over the Wikimedia Foundation, which was available in more than 300 languages throughout the world.
Wikipedia also stated that, while its website operates within Russia, the country has no jurisdiction over the online encyclopedia. The organization also stated that it has yet to comply with any of Russia's requests to remove the articles in question.
"The government is targeting information that is vital to people's lives in a time of crisis. We urge the court to reconsider in favor of everyone's rights to knowledge access and free expression," said Stephen LaPorte, Associate General Counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation.
Blocking Wikipedia access in Russia would deny over 145 million people access to this critical knowledge resource, the website added.
As per Reuters, following Moscow's crackdown on the press, Wikipedia, which claims to provide "the second draft of history," is one of the only main fact-checked Russian-language sources of information for Russians.
What Started This Issue?
Business Insider reported that Russia's demands came after President Vladimir Putin approved new "disinformation" laws in March, which empower authorities to sentence anybody who shares what they consider to be false information about the war to up to 15 years in prison or fines of up to 5 million rubles.
Ukraine, as per Reuters, claims it is the victim of an unprovoked imperial land grab by Russia, and it will fight to the bitter end to restore the territory seized by Russian forces. Ukraine has frequently requested additional assistance from the West in its struggle against Russia.
The terms "war" and "invasion" are not used by Putin or Russian officials. They described it as a "special military operation" intended at protecting Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine from persecution.
Russia claims that the supposed evidence of war crimes is made up of well crafted forgeries, and that Ukraine and its Western allies have spread lies about Russian forces.
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