Twitter Unblocks Putin Parody Account After Free Speech Outcry

Twitter has unblocked a popular spoof account of Russian President Vladimir Putin after a storm of condemnation that the company was censoring free speech.

@DarthPutinKGB celebrated his return to Twitter after a two-day suspension with typical wisecracks:

I have noted the names of every single one of you who did not tweet to @Support against this fascist coup!!!

The account, which has more than 60,000 followers, was suspended on Tuesday, along with a number of others that spoof Russian officials and institutions. Twitter gave no public explanation for their blocking or unblocking.

During the suspension, the man who has been running the @DarthPutinKGB account told The Moscow Times he thought Russian authorities were behind the move.

"I think that they cannot take being laughed at," he said.

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