Authorities in Belarus have arrested and detained Designate Bernstein, one in every of the tip editors of Russian Wikipedia, per native e-newsletter Zerkalo. Bernstein turn into as soon as reportedly accused of violating the “wrong news” law Russia passed in early March by modifying the Wikipedia article about the invasion of Ukraine. Below the recent law, any one came upon guilty of what the nation deems as faux facts about the Ukraine invasion — be aware, the Kremlin calls it a “special protection drive operation” — could perchance well be imprisoned for as much as 15 years.
It turn into as soon as the Predominant Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of Belarus (GUBOPiK) that had arrested Bernstein, The Verge studies. The e-newsletter says his social media accounts, Wikipedia tackle and place of job were shared on GUBOPiK’s public Telegram channel earlier than he turn into as soon as taken in. A video of his arrest turn into as soon as also posted on the channel, along with a articulate that accuses him of “distributing wrong anti-Russian recordsdata.” Belarus played a key role within the invasion of Ukraine by web web hosting Russian troops, which deployed from the nation when the attacks started.
As The Verge notes, or now not it is unclear what exactly Bernstein is being charged with and which of his edits broke Russia’s wrong news law. Bernstein has over 200,000 Wikipedia edits below what’s believed to be his yarn, which has now been blocked indefinitely.
Russia has been scrambling to suppress sources of recordsdata that goes against its legitimate narrative referring to the war in Ukraine, and its recent law had forced native self enough media retail outlets to shut down. Dmitri A. Muratov, the editor-in-chief of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, steered The New York Cases that “[e]verything that is now not propaganda is being eliminated.”
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