‘Facebook stifles pro-Rohingya voices’
FACEBOOK has come under fire for stifling voices reporting crimes against humanity in the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.
The backlash comes after the social media network labelled the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, Arsa, as a “dangerous organisation,” and asked its moderators to remove the content “by, or praising” the organisation.
The international community of activists and human rights groups has widely criticised the decision as an act of censorship.
According to recent reports, Facebook has also been accused of suppressing the accounts of Rohingya activists.
Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi called Arsa a “terrorist organisation” last month.
Arsa claims to fight for the rights of the minority Rohingya. The group first emerged last October after it attacked three police outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung districts, killing nine policemen.
Several activists from within and outside Myanmar said posts about violence in Rakhine state had been removed from Facebook.
Mohammad Anwar, a journalist with Rohingya Blogger, shared several screenshots of violence in Myanmar that were removed by the social media network.
He also claimed Facebook threatened to disable his account.
One post that was removed showed Burmese military helicopters hovering over villages in the Maungdaw District of Rakhine state.
Facebook has denied the allegations that it is censoring Rohingya accounts.