US Lawmakers Ask Social Media Companies To Archive Evidence Of Russian War Crimes In Ukraine

JAKARTA - Four Democratic lawmakers on Thursday, May 12 asked the CEO of YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. to archive content that could be used as evidence of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukraine and the West say Russian forces have committed war crimes in the 11-week invasion of its neighbour, in which thousands of civilians have been killed. Russia denies the accusations and says it does not target civilians.

In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, lawmakers, including the leaders of the House Oversight Committee and Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Maloney and Gregory Meeks, encouraged social media companies to preserve content posted on their sites.

"The content could potentially be used as evidence when the US government and international human rights and accountability monitors investigate Russian war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities in Ukraine," the letter said.

The letters were also signed by the two subcommittee chairs, William Keating and Stephen Lynch.

The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution last Thursday to launch an investigation into possible war crimes by Russian troops in places near the capital Kyiv and beyond, a move Russia says amounts to a political settlement.