(ANN/JAKARTA POST) – Meta Platforms issued an apology on Tuesday for removing content from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. The content in question was related to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh last week. The posts expressing condolences over Haniyeh’s death were taken down, prompting Malaysia to seek an explanation from Meta.
“We apologise for an operational error where content from the Prime Minister’s Facebook and Instagram pages were removed, and the content has since been restored with the correct newsworthy label,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed response to questions.
Malaysia’s Communications Minister and members of the Prime Minister’s Office met with Meta representatives on Monday to discuss the issue. “The Prime Minister’s Office views Meta’s actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression,” the office said in a statement.
Earlier on Monday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised social media companies, accusing them of attempting to “muzzle the Palestinian people’s voices.” This came after Turkey blocked access to Instagram last week following allegations that the platform had blocked condolence posts over the assassination of Haniyeh. Turkey has been in talks with Instagram to address the issue.
Turkey has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire, and criticised what it perceives as unconditional support for Israel by Western nations. “We are facing a digital fascism that has no tolerance for even the photographs of Palestinian martyrs and bans them immediately,” Erdogan said, referring to the killing of Haniyeh. “They are resorting to every means to hide Israel’s cruelty and muzzle the Palestinian people’s voices. Especially social media companies have literally become militants,” he added in a speech in Ankara.
