Russia puts Meta's press secretary on wanted list
Russia puts Meta's press secretary on wanted list (photo: Getty Images)
The Russian Interior Ministry has put Andy Stone, a spokesperson for the American tech giant Meta, on the wanted list. The reason for adding him to the wanted list was not specified, states Politico.
Stone "is wanted under an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation,” the agency reported, citing the ministry's database. The reason Stone was added to the list was not indicated, according to the journalists.
In 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow officially recognized the American tech company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp as a "terrorist and extremist" organization.
"That opened the door to heavier legal proceedings against its users in the country," Politico writes.
Western social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter) have been banned in Russia and are only accessible in the country via VPNs.
Wanted in Russia
It should be noted that putting "undesirables" on the wanted list is a common practice in Russia. For example, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in March 2023, several ICC judges, including Rosario Salvatore Aitala and Tomoko Akane, appeared in the Russian Interior Ministry's wanted list. In addition, Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan, and International Criminal Court judges Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala, and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez.
