Wikipedia appeals Russian order to remove Ukraine war information
Wikipedia’s owner, the Wikimedia Foundation, defies a Russian court order to remove Ukraine war content and appeals the decision, citing the importance of providing factual information to the public as a human right. Russia claims the content poses a threat to public order, but Wikimedia argues its global reach makes it beyond national control.
Wikipedia’s owner, the Wikimedia Foundation, has filed an appeal against a Moscow court decision which demanded that Wikipedia remove content related to the Ukraine war. Previously, Wikimedia was fined 5 million rubles (US$88,000) in a court decision for failing to remove the content in question. Wikimedia argues that people have a right to know the facts of the war and that removing information is a violation of human rights to knowledge access and free expression.
Wikimedia stated that, while its website is accessible within Russia, the country has no authority over Wikipedia, which it describes as a global resource available in 300 languages. The Moscow court argued that the disinformation posted on Wikipedia represented a threat to Russian public order and that the foundation in fact operates in Russia.
So far, the foundation has refused to comply with Russia’s demands to delete the articles in question.