Florida man files a lawsuit to prevent Ohtani's 50th HR ball from going to auction
Who is Eric Adams? The New York City mayor faces charges alleging he took bribes
NTSB issues ‘urgent’ safety warning for some Boeing 737s, including MAX, in latest blow to struggling planemaker
Macron says he does not think Israeli comments on ceasefire plan are definitive
Haiti says it supports a UN peacekeeping mission to fight the country's violent gangs
NTSB issues urgent safety recommendations on Boeing 737 rudder after Newark incident
Dell asks global sales team to work five days a week in office, memo says
At the New York Film Festival, an art form at play
White Sox stay at 120 losses as Flexen shines in 7-0 victory over Angels
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A military court in Moscow on Monday sentenced Meta Platforms spokesperson Andy Stone to six years in prison for "publicly defending terrorism", a verdict handed down in absentia, RIA news agency reported.
Meta itself is designated an extremist organisation in Russia and its Facebook and Instagram social media platforms have been banned in the country since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Stone, Meta's communications director, could not immediately be reached.
Interfax cited the defendant's lawyer, Valentina Filippenkova, as saying that the sentence would be appealed.
"I asked for an acquittal," she was quoted as saying.
Russia's interior ministry opened a criminal investigationinto Stone late last year, without disclosing specific charges.
RIA cited state investigators as saying Stone had published online comments that defended "aggressive, hostile and violent actions" towards Russian soldiers involved in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Ros Russell)
