Oversight Board Wants To Ban Cambodia's Prime Minister From Facebook And Instagram

Topline Meta’s Oversight Board on Thursday called for the immediate suspension of the Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after he threatened to “beat up” opponents and made other posts inciting violence, a decision that could change how political speech is handled online. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at … [+] Bocharov Ruchey State Residence on May 19, 2016 in Sochi, Russia. Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesGetty Images Key Facts The board wants Hun Sen’s accounts suspended for at least six months and wants the company to remove the live-streamed video posted in January that encouraged political opponents to choose between the “legal system” and “a bat,” the decision said. The board—which is made up of independent advisors—cited “the severity of the violation, Hun Sen’s history of committing human rights violations and intimidating political opponents, as well as his strategic use of social media to amplify such threats” as the reasons for its decision. The move is an overturn of an earlier decision by Meta employees that would have kept the video up because it was newsworthy. Hun Sen’s accounts were still live as of 10 a.m.
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