MOSCOW. April 20 (Interfax) - A justice of the peace in Moscow has imposed a 1.5 million-ruble administrative fine on Wikimedia Foundation Inc. over its failure to remove false information about the special military operation in Ukraine from Wikipedia, an Interfax correspondent reported.
"Wikimedia Foundation Inc. is penalized with an administrative fine of 1,500,000 rubles," Justice of the Peace from Judicial District No. 422 in Moscow's Tagansky District Timur Vakhrameyev said.
Wikimedia Foundation Inc. was found guilty of failing to remove prohibited information.
According to the materials of the administrative proceeding that were read out in court, Wikimedia was charged with failing to remove a Wikipedia article containing information about the special military operation in Ukraine which the Russian Prosecutor General's Office determined to be false.
Wikimedia's lawyer asked the court to dismiss the case due to a number of procedural violations and the absence of formal elements and events of a crime. The lawyer argued that the disputed information was based on media reports and attributed to specific media outlets and international organizations recognized by Russia, such as the United Nations.
He also said that almost two months had passed since the drafting of the motion against Wikimedia and the notice from the Prosecutor General's Office demanding that the information be removed because it could have socially significant consequences, including unrest. The lawyer noted that the regulator's inaction on this matter demonstrated the insignificance of the offense.
This is the fifth fine imposed on Wikimedia in 2023 over its failure to remove prohibited information. The fines imposed for the five offenses total 5.6 million rubles.