Accra:The National Human Rights Commission has strongly criticized the decision by "Facebook and X" platforms to ban and shut down numerous Yemeni pages and accounts associated with media institutions, journalists, and human rights advocates opposing Saudi actions in Yemen.
According to Yemen News Agency, the Commission issued a statement arguing that these actions reveal the hypocrisy of the so-called 'freedom of expression' championed by Western digital platforms. It contends that these platforms, which were once described as 'the public square of humanity,' are instead being used as tools to suppress voices that challenge the American-Zionist-Saudi narrative.
The statement further asserts that the deletion of posts and banning of accounts are attempts to suppress the truth and awareness, and that the Yemeni people, who have endured conflict, will not be defeated by such digital censorship. It emphasizes that silencing social media accounts does not erase the crimes they highlight, as historical truths cannot be blocked by algorithms.
The Commission highlighted the timing of these digital restrictions, which coincide with increased military actions by Saudi forces in various Yemeni regions, including Taiz, Nahm, Saada, Sanaa, and Ibb. This, it says, points to a broader narrative war aimed at silencing Yemeni voices while military operations continue.
Furthermore, the Commission argues that these measures violate Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protect the right to seek, receive, and impart information. It describes the bans as "racist digital discrimination" and calls for condemnation from international human rights bodies.
The Commission urges the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression to denounce these actions, labeling them as technical complicity in war crimes. It also calls upon Yemeni media professionals and activists to adopt a "decentralized media" approach, avoiding reliance on politicized platforms, and stresses that expressing free opinions during aggression is a form of resistance.
