Chechen leader complains about censorship by Instagram

The head of the Chechen government, Ramzan Kadyrov, accuses Instagram of censoring his free speech. He says the social network deleted a post he directed at Russia’s political opposition.

“Here is America’s vaunted freedom of speech! You can write what you want, but don’t touch America’s henchmen or friends of the State Department and Congress. You know perfectly well whom I’m speaking about!” Kadyrov wrote.

Yesterday, February 1, Instagram reportedly removed a video posted to Kadyrov’s account that depicted the opposition politicians Mikhail Kasyanov and Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. in the crosshairs of a gunsight. His comment accompanying the video implied the politicians were receiving funds to carry out the West’s bidding.