KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government said Monday it had met with Meta representatives to demand an apology and explanation as to why posts about the death of a Hamas leader were removed from the prime minister’s social media accounts.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office said his posts on Facebook and Instagram about Ismail Haniyeh’s death had been removed last week by parent company Meta.
The political leader of Palestinian armed group Hamas was killed in Tehran on Wednesday, in an attack blamed on Israel, which has not directly commented on it.
Anwar’s posts included a video showing the premier on a phone call with a Hamas official, offering his condolences.
On Instagram, there was a note by Meta, shared by Anwar, that the posts were taken down because of association with “dangerous individuals and organizations.”
Israel, the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
In a statement on Monday, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said it “views Meta’s actions as discriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression.”
“It is also seen as an affront to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people in their pursuit of justice and human rights.”
The PMO said it was demanding a public apology and a detailed explanation from Meta.
Anwar accused the tech giant of “cowardice” last week for removing his posts.
Malaysian authorities have previously chided Meta for removing posts as well as for not taking down what officials deemed as harmful content fast enough.
Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Last year, Human Rights Watch said “Meta’s policies and practices were silencing voices in support of Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook.”
Anwar, who met Haniyeh in Qatar in May, has defended Malaysia’s ties with the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group, which launched a deadly attack against Israel on October 7 that triggered the war in Gaza.
Anwar stressed during a visit to Germany in March that Malaysia’s links were with Hamas’s political wing and not with its military arm.
Malaysia summons Meta over removed PM posts about Hamas leader
https://arab.news/y4a74
Malaysia summons Meta over removed PM posts about Hamas leader
- Anwar’s posts included a video showing the premier on a phone call with a Hamas official, offering his condolences
Sweden wants to strip organized crime leaders of citizenship
- A bill submitted to parliament on Friday includes a proposal that would allow revoking passports of double citizenship holders convicted of “crimes”
STOCKHOLM: The Swedish government on Friday proposed changes to the constitution that would allow revoking the citizenship of some criminal gang leaders, as part of its work to combat widespread organized crime.
In January, a cross-party parliamentary committee proposed constitutional changes to allow stripping the passports of people with dual nationality convicted of espionage or treason, but stopped short of suggestions targeting organized crime.
“The government has chosen to go further than the committee’s proposal precisely to make it possible to also revoke citizenship from, for example, gang leaders who are guilty of very, very serious harm to society,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a press conference.
He said a bill submitted to parliament on Friday includes a proposal that would allow revoking passports of double citizenship holders convicted of “crimes that gravely affect vital national interests” such as serious gang crime.
Sweden has been plagued by organized crime-related violence for well over a decade.
The government and its backers, the far-right and anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, won the 2022 election on a promise to reduce immigration and gang crime, which they say are linked. New general elections are due in 2026.
To change the Swedish constitution, the proposals need to pass a vote in parliament with a simple majority, followed by a general election and then a second Riksdag vote.
Strommer said he aims for the proposed changes to the constitution to enter into force at the start of 2027.
