Facebook ‘censors’ 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) a “dangerous organisation”, and asked its moderators to remove 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 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 emerged last October after it attacked three police outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung districts, killing nine policemen.

Several activists within and outside Myanmar said posts about violence in Rakhine state had been removed from Facebook.

Mohammad Anwar, a journalist with Rohingya Blogger, shared screenshots of violence in Myanmar that were removed.

He also claimed that Facebook had threatened to disable his account.

One post that was removed showed Burmese military helicopters hovering over villages in the Maungdaw district of Rakhine state.

Another post, published on August 28, showed members of the military burning down an area in Maungdaw District.

Facebook has denied the allegations it is censoring Rohingya accounts.

“In response to the situation in Myanmar, we are only removing graphic content when it is shared to celebrate the violence, versus raising awareness and condemning the action,” a Facebook spokeswoman, Ruchika Budhraja, said.

Laura Haigh, Amnesty International’s Burma researcher, said there appeared to be a targeted campaign to report Rohingya accounts to Facebook in a bid to shut them down.