A court in Russia on Monday convicted the spokesperson of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison in a swift trial in absentia, Russia's independent news site Mediazona reported.
According to the outlet, the charges against Meta communications director Andy Stone stem from his remarks in 2022 following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 that year. Stone, who is based in the United States, announced temporary changes to Meta’s hate speech policy to allow for “forms of political expression that would normally violate (its) rules, like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’”
In the same statement, Stone added that “credible calls for violence against Russian civilians” would remain banned. The Russian authorities opened a criminal case implicating Stone and other unidentified Meta employees nonetheless, describing the statement as “illegal calls to violence and killings of Russian citizens.”
The authorities also outlawed Meta as an extremist organization and blocked Facebook and Instagram in Russia. Both platforms — as well as X, formerly known as Twitter, which has also been blocked — were popular with Russians before the invasion and the subsequent crackdown on independent media and other forms of critical speech. However, they are now only accessible via VPN.
Mediazona reported that Stone was initially charged with calling for terrorist activity, public calls for extremist activity and publicly justifying terrorism, but the first two charges were dropped in the final version of the indictment. The trial, in which Stone was represented by a government-appointed lawyer, began on Friday and concluded on Monday after only two hearings. Stone was sentenced to six years in a penal colony and barred from administering websites for four more years.
Meta declined to comment on the verdict.
In April 2022, Russia also formally barred Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg from entering the country.
Russia convicts the spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta in a swift trial in absentia
Russia convicts the spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta in a swift trial in absentia
FILE - Social media applications are displayed on an iPhone, March 13, 2019, in New York. An independent Russian news site has reported that a court in Russia convicted the spokesman of U.S. technology company Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison in absentia. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — It's a dilemma no business owner should have to face: whether to reopen after a mass shooting.
The answer didn't come easily to Justin and Samantha Juray. But when they did decide to reopen their Maine bowling alley, they didn't hold back.
When patrons returned Friday, six months after the gunman opened fire, they were impressed by the scenic images and messages of resilience at the end of each lane, bright paint on the walls and new floors. The Lewiston venue has undergone a complete makeover, giving it a vibrant, airy feel.
“It looks beautiful,” said Lena Galipeau, who works with a group of adults with disabilities who'd been anxious to return.
Samantha Juray gets emotional when recalling the events of Oct. 25, when the gunman killed eight people at the bowling alley before driving to a nearby bar and pool hall where he killed 10 more during the deadliest shooting in the state's history. He later died by suicide.
“It's never going to leave my head,” Juray said. “I think if we don't move forward — not that there was a point to this whole thing anyway — but we're just going to allow the people that have taken so much from us win.”
Justin Juray initially was dead-set against reopening and they also got some negative outside feedback. But that all changed, she said, as people in Lewiston rallied behind them. Within weeks, they knew they had to reopen, Samantha Juray said.
They decided to keep the same name: Just-In-Time Recreation. They call it that because when they bought the venue three years ago, the owner was days away from shutting it down. It also fits with Justin’s name.
John Robinson attended the reopening with his son Colin, who was there with his mother the night of the shooting. Robinson said it was emotional to return to the bowling alley — he'd also been to an earlier soft launch with families — but it also felt like a weight had been lifted. He knew all those who died at the bowling alley and counted them as friends.
“I can't say how great this day is,” he said. “An opportunity to celebrate their lives. To celebrate the rebirth of Just-In-Time.”
He said the reopening was important for bowlers across the region because there aren't many places to bowl in Maine and they're spread out.
Across the country, people have taken varied approaches after mass shootings. Barbara Poma, the former owner of the Pulse nightclub in Florida where 49 people were killed in 2016, said every situation and community is different.
“You are suddenly thrown into a state of shock, and emotions dictate your thoughts,” Poma said in an email. "Eventually you are forced to make a critical business decision based on how it will impact others emotionally and publicly. There just is no easy or right answer.”
The City of Orlando last year agreed to buy the Pulse nightclub site to create a memorial.
In Aurora, Colorado, a movie theater where 12 people were killed in 2012 later reopened under a new name. Buffalo’s Tops Friendly Market reopened in 2022, two months after 10 Black people were killed.
In Newtown, Connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School was razed, and there also are plans to bulldoze Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
In Lewiston, Kathy Lebel, who owns the second business hit by the gunman, Schemengees Bar & Grille, also hopes to reopen at a different venue.
At the bowling alley, Tom Giberti said people are “so excited to get us back.”
Giberti, who has worked at the bowling alley for 20 years, is credited with saving the lives of at least four children the night of the shooting. He ushered them along a narrow walkway between the lanes to an area behind the pins. Before Giberti could get to safety himself, he was shot in both legs and hit with shrapnel.
After undergoing surgery, it wasn't long before Giberti stopped using the mobility walker he'd been given. These days, he enjoys playing golf and shows few physical signs of his injuries as he strides about the bowling alley.
A lot of people in Lewiston have helped get the venue reopened, he said.
“The community has been phenomenal,” Giberti said. “They’ve been right here for us, they’ve been supporting us.”
The makeover of the bowling alley includes a new scoring system and many tributes, including a table featuring pictures of the eight who died at Just-In-Time, and bowling pins with the names of the 18 shooting victims from both venues.
Among those killed were two bowling alley staff members. Most of the staff who survived are returning to work at the venue.
Samantha Juray said they are fully prepared to serve customers again and can’t wait to see the familiar faces of regulars as they get used to a new normal.
Among those planning to speak at a ceremony Friday afternoon is Maine's governor, Janet Mills, a Democrat.
“I’m excited about opening,” Juray said. “I know it’s definitely going to be a very long day, and probably an emotional day.”
Associated Press writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.
Justin Juray, owner of Just In Time Recreation, greets a customer during the reopening of the bowling alley six months after a deadly mass shooting, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Josh Roy bowls at Just In Time Recreation, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley, where eight people were killed in last October's mass shooting, reopened to the public on Friday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Colin Robinson bowls at Just In Time Recreation during the reopening of the bowling alley six months after a deadly mass shooting, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A crowd of bowlers sign up for a lane during the reopening of Just In Time Recreation, six months after a deadly mass shooting, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Katie Nichols bowls at Just In Time Recreation during the reopening of the bowling alley six months after a deadly mass shooting, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Justin Juray, owner of Just In Time Recreation, hugs a customer during the reopening of the bowling alley six months after a deadly mass shooting, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The names of some of the 18 victims of last October's mass shooting are memorialized on bowling pins at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The names of the eight people murdered last October at Just In Time Recreation are posted at the bowling alley, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. A gunman also killed an additional 10 people at a local bar. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A sign of support is displayed at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A sign decorates a riverfront park, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The city was the scene of the state's deadliest mass shooting last October. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Bowler Ray St. Pierre walks through the newly-renovated Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3, seven months after the state's deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
League bowlers compete at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3, seven months after the state's deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A bowler takes aim at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3, seven months after the state's deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Lucas Mitchum inspects the gutters on a lane at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3, seven months after Maines deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Last-minute decorations are installed prior to the reopening of Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Thomas Giberti describes the chaotic scene in which he saved several children by hustling them into the room that houses the pinsetting machines at a bowling alley, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. Giberti survived despite being was hit by numerous bullets and shrapnel. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Thomas Giberti shows one of the numerous places he was shot while saving the lives of several children during a mass shooting at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A sign of positivity decorates the lawn at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley, where eight people were killed in last October's mass shooting, was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Photos of local scenes have been added to the decor at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley, where eight people were killed in last October's mass shooting, was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The eight people who were killed last October while bowling at Just In Time Recreation are memorialized on a table top at the bowling alley, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Samantha Juray gets emotional while recalling the events of the mass shooting last October at the bowling alley she owns with her husband, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Justin Juray, right, owner of Just In Time Recreation, bumps fists with local bowler Moe St. Pierre, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley, where eight people were killed in last October's mass shooting, was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Bowling pins labeled for each of the 18 victims of the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting are displayed at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley, where eight people were killed, was scheduled to reopen Friday, May 3. An additional 10 people were killed at nearby bar. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
