Telegram’s stated philosophy against censorship and state pressure has made the encrypted messaging app, boasting over 700 million active users, a boon for anti-government protesters worldwide, IWPR reports.
But it has also made the social media platform a sanctuary for politically motivated vitriol and toxic disinformation.
In Azerbaijan, the app has become a nexus for hate speech, propaganda and the repression of dissent.
Its use surged during the 2020 war over Nagorny Karabakh. When fighting re-erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 12 2022, claiming the lives of more than 200 servicemen over two days, the Khacherubka Telegram channel began sharing atrocities committed by Azerbaijan servicemen against Armenians. One video, ostensibly filmed by an Azerbaijani soldier, showed the desecration of an Armenian servicewoman’s body.
Even the title of the Russian-language channel, created in July 2022, is disturbing. The word khach is a racist expression that may refer to people of Caucasian origin, but specifically and more often to Armenians. Rubka can translate as “chopping”.
Khacherubka has over 7,300 subscribers and a backup channel in case of the removal of the main channel. It continues to share graphic images and videos of killed Armenian soldiers, accompanied by highly dehumanising language.
In December 2021, a coalition of human rights organisations urged Telegram to keep users safe through improving measures that ranged from a transparent content governance framework to accessible communication channels, appeal procedures and better safety and data security.
The call particularly resonated with Azerbaijani activists who have become targets.
