The owner of Wikipedia announced on Monday that it is appealing a Russian court decision demanding that the company remove information related to the war in Ukraine.
Wikimedia Foundation, the parent company of Wikipedia, was fined the equivalent of $65,000 for refusing to remove what the court deemed to be disinformation in Russian language articles related to Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. The articles in question include “The Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” “War Crimes During the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” “Shelling of Hospital in Mariupol,” “Bombing of the Mariupol Theater,” and “Massacre in Bucha.” The company argues that information on the pages is “well-sourced” and “verified” and that the court’s ruling targets “vital” information in a “time of crisis.”
“This decision implies that well-sourced, verified knowledge on Wikipedia that is inconsistent with Russian government accounts constitutes disinformation,” Stephen LaPorte, associate general counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation, said in a statement on Monday.
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“The government is targeting information that is vital to people’s lives in a time of crisis,” LaPorte added. “We urge the court to reconsider in favor of everyone’s rights to knowledge access and free expression.”
The Moscow court claims the information on Wikipedia about Russia’s invasion, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation,” poses the risk of mass public disorder in Russia. The court also declared that Wikimedia Foundation is operating inside Russian territory and is required to comply with Russian law.
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Wikimedia Foundation argues that the Russian government requiring it to remove the information “constitutes a violation of human rights,” and it said that the country has no jurisdiction over the company, which is available globally in over 300 languages.
“We have not complied with any orders from the Russian government to date, and will continue to stand by our mission to deliver free knowledge to the world,” Wikimedia Foundation said, adding that the Russian government will have the opportunity to respond to the appeal in the coming weeks.
