Meta‑moderation. Moscow court opens trial against Meta spokesman Andy Stone, accused of “justifying terrorism”
Andy Stone, the spokesman for Meta, is being tried in absentia in Russia on charges of “justifying terrorism.” The accusation stems from a tweet Stone posted in March 2022, explaining the company’s new moderation rules. At the time, in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Meta had decided to temporarily allow calls for violence against “Russian occupiers.” Today, a military court in Moscow began considering Stone’s case. We attended the hearing, which turned into a humiliation for the prominent prosecutor Boris Loktionov.
Today, the Moscow District Military Court began hearing the case against Andy Stone—the spokesman for the U.S. technology giant Meta that owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram—in absentia. Stone is accused of “justifying terrorism.” He was placed under arrest in absentia in Russia last November and put on the federal wanted list.
“The court took measures to notify Stone but received no response,” commented Judge Roman Kiforenko on the absence of Meta’s press secretary in the courtroom. The defendant’s lawyer, Valentina Filippenkova, insisted that her client had not been properly notified about the start of the proceedings. She requested to postpone the hearing, but the judge seemed irritated from the very beginning and not inclined to delay the case.
