23 May 2007, 22:48
YouTube cancels a video clip about tortures in Chechnya finding it excessively cruel
One of the web resources of Chechen separatists – "Kavkaz-Centre" – informs that its editorial board has received a notification from the YouTube service about removal of the video clip laid out by the web site and demonstrating tortures in Chechnya, since it shows "much violence"; and then – an anonymous letter running that the clip was removed by the YouTube at the request of the Kremlin.
"The editorial board of the 'Kavkaz-Centre' has received a notification from the YouTube service stating that our video clip showing how Kadyrov agents are torturing a hostage in their secret prison contradicts the YouTube's policy since the clip has 'much violence'," the web site informs.
The editorial staff of the web site who have received the above notification from the YouTube think that "this surprising explanation looks absolutely absurd at the background of that awful stock of violence, which is in open access of this service and counts tens of thousands."
The message of the "Kavkaz-Centre" also reports that shortly after the notification from the YouTube, an anonymous letter arrived to the editorial board, where the author had stated that he worked with the YouTube and that the video clip with tortures was removed at the request of the government of Russia.