Allegedly spreading fake news, top Wikipedia editor was arrested

The Belarusian Bureau for the Prevention of Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) made the arrest after Bernstein’s personal information was shared publicly on the agency’s Telegram channel.

Bernstein is one of the top 50 editors of the Russian-language Wikipedia. According to The Verge, this editor’s personal information, including his social network address, Wikipedia account, and working address, appeared in GUBOPiK’s Telegram chat channel. A video recording of Bernstein’s arrest along with photos and details was also posted.

In the photo, the editor of Wikipedia is accused of “spreading disinformation against Russia”. Currently, the chat channel of the Belarusian security service has changed to “private” mode.

Bernstein was accused of editing Wikipedia articles about the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. However, the posts in the Telegram group also do not specify what crime this man is officially accused of.

Bernstein’s activity log at the open encyclopedia website recorded more than 200,000 edits of articles in Russian. Currently, this account has changed to “indefinitely locked” status.

On the Russian-language Wikipedia’s Telegram channel, users in Belarus and Russia have been advised to hide their personal information and use another account to edit articles related to the conflict.

Vinh Ngo(According to The Verge)