ABUJA: The US and the European Union voiced concern over Nigeria’s decision to indefinitely ban Twitter after the US social media giant deleted a tweet from the president’s account for violating its rules.
International human rights groups have also condemned the move, which followed previous attempts by the government of Africa’s most populous country to regulate social media.
Nigerian telecoms operators complied with a government directive Friday to suspend access to Twitter indefinitely.
The diplomatic missions of the EU, US, Britain, Canada and Ireland issued a joint statement late Saturday condemning the ban.
“Banning systems of expression is not the answer,” it said.
“Precisely the moment when Nigeria needs to foster inclusive dialogue and expression of opinions, as well as share vital information in this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“The path to a more secure Nigeria lies in more, not less, communication,” it added.
More than 39 million Nigerians have a Twitter account, according to NOI polls, a public opinion and research organization based in Nigeria.
The platform has played an important role in public discourse in the country, with hashtags #BringBackOurGirls after Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in 2014, and #EndSARS during anti-police brutality protests last year.
The government’s suspension came after Twitter on Wednesday deleted a remark on President Muhammadu Buhari’s account in which he referred to the country’s civil war four decades ago in a warning about recent unrest.
The 78-year-old president, a former general, referred to “those misbehaving” in recent violence in the southeast, where officials blame a proscribed separatist group IPOB for attacks on police and election offices.
“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” the president had posted on Twitter.
The presidency denied late on Saturday that the Twitter suspension was a response to the removal of that post.
“There has been a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences,” a presidency spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.
Shehu said the removal of Buhari’s tweet was “disappointing” and said “major tech companies must be alive to their responsibilities.”
Twitter said it was “deeply concerned by the blocking of Twitter in Nigeria.”
“Access to the free and #OpenInternet is an essential human right in modern society. We will work to restore access for all those in Nigeria who rely on Twitter to communicate and connect with the world. #KeepitOn,” the company said in a statement.
“VPN app” was the second most searched trend Saturday on Google in Nigeria, as virtual private networks can enable Twitter users to bypass the ban.
Nigeria warned however that it would prosecute violators.
“Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has directed for immediate prosecution of offenders of the Federal Government ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria,” spokesman Umar Jibrilu Gwandu said.
Amnesty International condemned the ban, calling on Nigeria to “immediately reverse the unlawful suspension.”
“This repressive action is a clear attempt to censor dissent & stifle the civic space,” Human Rights Watch researcher Anietie Ewang said.
US, EU condemn Nigeria’s Twitter ban
https://arab.news/gr3ta
US, EU condemn Nigeria’s Twitter ban
- International human rights groups have also condemned the move, which followed previous attempts by the government of Africa’s most populous country to regulate social media
- Nigerian telecoms operators complied with a government directive Friday to suspend access to Twitter indefinitely
Israel designates 5 Palestinian media platforms ‘terrorist organizations’
- Defense Minister Israel Katz issues ban on Al-Asima News, M3raj Network, Al-Quds Albawsala Network, Maydan Al-Quds, Plus Quds Network, accusing them of ‘incitement’
- Jerusalem-based digital outlets provide essential minute-by-minute coverage from the Old City, Palestinian neighborhoods, Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
LONDON: Israel has designated five Palestinian media platforms “terrorist organizations” over their coverage of Israeli measures in East Jerusalem, accusing them of “incitement.”
The Ministry of Defense issued a ban on Sunday on Al-Asima News, M3raj Network, Al-Quds Albawsala Network, Maydan Al-Quds, and Plus Quds Network.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Defense Minister Israel Katz had signed the order and that the attorney general “confirmed that there is no legal obstacle” to the move.
Israeli authorities said the outlets incited unrest by focusing on developments in East Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa Mosque. They alleged that Hamas used the platforms to stir tensions among Palestinians during Ramadan.
Israeli authorities ordered internet service providers and social networking companies to block access to the specified accounts.
Al-Asima, one of the banned outlets, said on Monday it was suspending operations.
The network said: “In a new step added to Israel’s record of repression and gagging, the occupation has banned the work of several Jerusalem-based news networks in an attempt to isolate Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, monopolize them, and suppress their news from the world.
“This is not a retreat from our mission, but a measure to protect our journalists from the occupation’s brutality.”
The right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intensified measures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since taking office at the end of 2022.
Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have imposed tighter restrictions on movement for West Bank residents at checkpoints leading into East Jerusalem.
The actions come amid a broader land-grab agenda that is expected to accelerate after the Israeli security cabinet approved measures to increase Israeli civilian authority in Areas A and B of the West Bank, which together make up about 40 percent of the territory.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has condemned those steps, warning they “will undoubtedly accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians and their forcible transfer,” and further deprive them of natural resources and other basic rights.
In this heavily fragmented environment — marked by checkpoints, gates and roadblocks — the Jerusalem-based digital outlets have played a key role, providing minute-by-minute coverage from the Old City, Palestinian neighborhoods and, crucially, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
They have also documented daily realities often absent from mainstream media coverage, including home demolitions, land seizures, settler takeovers, arrests and repeated incursions into holy sites.
It remains unclear whether Israel’s move against the media platforms will be temporary or permanent.
However, concerns are growing that the action forms part of a wider effort to isolate the West Bank not only physically, but also by constraining Palestinian narratives, a trend likely to come under increased international scrutiny.
