Russia calls for answers after Chechen leader's Instagram is blocked

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Russia calls for answers after Chechen leader's Instagram is blocked

Internet watchdog demands explanation after Ramzan Kadyrov claimed Facebook also suspended him without explanation

Marc Bennetts in Moscow
Tue 26 Dec ‘17 11.22 GMT

The Russian internet watchdog has demanded an explanation from Facebook and Instagram over the blocking of social media accounts belonging to the controversial Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Kadyrov has accused the US government of pressuring the social networks to disable his accounts, which he said were blocked on Saturday without explanation. The US imposed travel and financial sanctions on Kadyrov last week over numerous allegations of human rights abuses.

The former rebel fighter, who is now loyal to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is a fan of social media, particularly Instagram, which he has used in recent years to make barely veiled death threats against Kremlin critics.

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Kadyrov has more than 3 million followers on his Russian-language Instagram account and more than 750,000 on Facebook. His less popular English-language Instagram account is still active.

Roskomnadzor, the media and telecoms regulator, said it would officially request an answer from the companies.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/26/chechnya-ramzan-kadyrov-social-media-russia-instagram-facebook

[FreepFryer]

1. Maybe the Magnitsky Act applies to human rights abusers access to social media companies?

The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced it had sanctioned the head of the Chechen Republic, in addition to four other individuals, for human rights abuses under the Magnitsky Act.

The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was responsible for torture, extrajudicial killing and other violations of international law.

Ayub Kataev, Yulia Mayorova, Andrei Pavlov and Alexei Sheshenya were also among those targeted by the sanctions.

Kadyrov is considered an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/365792-us-sanctions-chechen-president-kadyrov-under-magnitsky-act

[Nitram]

2. There's a hint of the power of social media, when a repressive totalitarian dictator

actually cares that his account was cancelled.