Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has slammed the blocking of his social media accounts as politically motivated, linking the move to U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy on Israel.
Facebook confirmed last week that it had blocked Kadyrov’s Facebook and Instagram accounts after he was blacklisted by U.S. authorities for reported human rights abuses.
Kadyrov is a prolific social media user and had gathered some 3 million followers on Instagram and 750,000 followers on Facebook before his accounts were blocked.
In a Wednesday post on the messaging app Telegram, Kadyrov accused the United States of “hypocrisy,” saying the accounts of Latin American politicians labeled “dictators” had not been blocked.
“According to many observers, the real reason is connected to my criticism of Trump’s decision to move the [U.S.] Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Kadyrov wrote.
The strongman leader of the Muslim-majority North Caucasus republic earlier joined Moscow in denouncing Trump for fulfilling a campaign pledge to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, risking unrest in the region.
Kadyrov further derided Facebook for “clearly not having freedom of action” and for being an “instrument in the hands of the U.S. authorities.”
