'Death to Khamenei' slogan to be allowed on Facebook, Meta says
Meta’s decision came amid ongoing anti-government protests in Iran, and contrasts with its ruling on calls for Russian president Putin’s death.
The parent company of Facebook, Meta, decided Monday to allow posts that call for the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
What happened: A July 2022 Persian-language Facebook post that read “death to Khamenei” was later removed when Meta determined it violated its violence and incitement community standard.
Meta’s Oversight Board, which is funded by Meta but acts independently, determined Monday that the phrase can be interpreted to mean “down with Khamenei.” The board decided to allow the post in order to “better protect political speech in critical situations, such as that in Iran,” according to a press release.
Why it matters: Iran has been engulfed in anti-government protests since September of last year in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly beaten to death by religious police for wearing a loose hijab.
