The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday objected to Twitter temporarily blocking the account of the Russian embassy to Syria, denouncing the move as an unacceptable violation of “freedom of opinion.”
According to a report from the UK Telegraph, the Russian Embassy’s account was suspended for slandering the Syrian “White Helmet” civil defense organization, a frequent target of Russian scorn. The embassy claimed the White Helmets faked an airstrike on a vegetable market in the rebel-held Idlib province last week. Eyewitnesses and international media organizations confirmed the strike was very real, killing at least 50 people.
The Russian embassy claimed its account was unfairly suspended for posting “factual criticism of the White Helmets, quoting the Russian military.” The Russian Defense Ministry had posted a video that purportedly showed the market hit by the airstrike was untouched and open for business.
Russia and its client state, the dictatorship of Syrian ruler Bashar Assad, often portray the White Helmets as a Western-sponsored disinformation campaign that works with jihadis in Syria and stages fake crimes against humanity to impugn the Russian and Syrian war effort.
“White Helmets is a pseudo humanitarian organization created by Western intelligence agencies in Syria: abetting terrorists, staging chemical attacks, killing civilians, including children, organ trafficking,” the Russian Foreign Ministry charged on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry said Twitter’s suspension of its Syrian embassy account was “an act of censorship and flagrant violation of freedom of speech,” demanding an immediate lifting of the ban.
U.N. monitors are unambiguous in holding the Russians and Syrians accountable for creating a massive humanitarian crisis in Idlib and slaughtering civilians. An impassioned U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, testified on Monday to Russian and Syrian attacks on hospitals and other civilian targets in what was supposed to be a “deconfliction zone” around Idlib. Lowcock said the evidence for these attacks is overwhelming.
Lowcock castigated the U.N. Security Council for not doing more to halt the attacks on civilians.
“You in this Security Council have ignored all the previous pleas you have heard. You know what is happening and you have done nothing for 90 days as the carnage continues in front of your eyes. Are you going to do something about it?” he asked.
The Russian embassy’s account was back online by Thursday morning.
“Greetings from sunny Damascus!” the embassy said in a jaunty comeback tweet. “We’re back, intact, and functioning normally! Thank you, friends, for your support! You did a great job to bring us back! Stay with us and encourage your friends to join, as further on in such circumstances we’ll need much stronger backup.”
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs chipped in with thanks to various other Russian embassy staffers and Russian media for their assistance in getting the Syrian embassy back online.
“It’s not just their account that has been restored, but ultimately justice and freedom of speech,” the ministry declared.
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