Andy Stone, spokesperson for Meta Platforms, has had an arrest order issued in his name by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court. The court, which ordered the arrest in absentia on Monday, has charged Stone with terrorism offenses and inciting extremist activities.
The arrest warrant comes in response to allegations that Stone violated various sections of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The alleged crimes encompass the promotion and public justification of terrorist activities, public calls to engage in these activities, and public advocacy for extremist operations.
Adding to this, Stone has also been included on both international and domestic wanted lists. Neither Stone nor Meta Platforms have made any public comments about the arrest order up to now.
The Russian Investigative Committee identified Stone in March 2022 as a subject of an investigation into alleged unlawful actions by Meta employees. The investigation was centered around claims that Stone announced Meta’s temporary suspension of its prohibition against expressing violent sentiments towards the Russian military on its platforms. The Committee views this as an act of political expression which directly contravenes the country’s Criminal Code.
Tensions between Meta and the Russian Federation have grown significantly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In March of that year, a Russian court found Meta guilty of extremist activity leading to a nationwide ban of the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Further in October, the Service for Financial Monitoring listed Meta among ‘terrorist and extremist organizations’.
The full story is available on theJurist website.