Iran’s foreign minister condemns Meta’s removal of Instagram and Facebook accounts of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as “illegal and unethical.”
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in comments to the UK-based news website Middle East Eye, lambasted the “Silicon Valley Empire” for trying to censor a prominent supporter of the Palestinian cause.
He condemned the suspension as “illegal and unethical” and said it was indicative of the “collapse of morality and the moral system of the world.”
“Blocking the media accounts of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution is not only a violation of freedom of speech, but also an affront to millions of followers of his positions and news,” Amir-Abdollahian noted.
The top Iranian diplomat noted that the mottos of freedom of expression by some so-called advocates in the West are hollow and act as a cover for their illegitimate political goals.
On Friday, Meta Platforms, Inc. removed Ayatollah Khamenei’s Persian- and English-language accounts.
The move came following months of incessant campaigning by pro-Israeli groups, which are known for wielding immense influence and interfering in major decision-making processes across the United States, the Israeli regime’s biggest ally.
Meta has been indulging in taking down pro-Palestinian content across Instagram and Facebook since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip.
The company has censored hundreds of instances of such content amid growing calls by Palestinians’ supporters for cessation of the military onslaught.
At least 30,838 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been confirmed killed and 72,402 others injured so far during Israel’s genocidal war.
The Israeli military campaign has devastated large swathes of Gaza, destroyed hospitals and displaced half of the population of 2.4 million in the world’s “largest open-air prison.”
Israel has also imposed a “complete siege” on the coastal sliver, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
