The Russian Court of Appeal upheld the first instance ruling that halted the activities of Facebook and Instagram, platforms operated by the American social media company Meta, in Russia.
Interfax news agency reported on the 20th local time that the Moscow City Court announced in the appeals court that “We have rejected Meta’s appeal and maintained the decision of the Moscow Tverskoy District Court on March 21st.”
The Tverskoy District Court in the first trial ruled that Instagram and Facebook activities were ‘extremist’ and ordered them to be suspended.
Earlier, it was reported that the meta changed the guidelines of the hate speech internal regulations to allow threatening content against Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
In response, Russian prosecutors requested the court to suspend operations in the country, saying, “Meta’s decision not only incites acts of terrorism, but also incites hatred and hostility toward Russians.”
Prosecutors also pointed out that Instagram did not comply with orders to delete more than 4,500 content related to the Russian military’s “special military operation” and calls for anti-war protests in Ukraine.
Currently, Facebook and Instagram access are blocked in Russia.
