Tehran: Iran has criticized US-based expertise large Meta’s determination to delete Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s Facebook and Instagram accounts as “a type of expression”, The Times of Israel reported on Sunday. denounced it as a violation of freedom.
Instagram and Facebook are among the many hottest social media platforms for Iranians, however whereas the federal government bans their use, officers within the Islamic Republic have accounts on them.
Mehta introduced final month that it had eliminated Khamenei’s accounts from Facebook and Instagram for “repeated violations” of its coverage on “harmful organizations and people.”
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian stated the transfer was “not solely a violation of freedom of speech, but additionally an insult to the tens of millions of people that assist his positions and information.” .
“The motto of freedom of expression by some Western advocates is an empty and flashy slogan and a canopy for his or her unjust political objectives,” he stated in remarks additionally launched by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.・Told the East Eye information company.
Khamenei, 84, has served because the nation’s supreme chief since 1989 and is given ultimate say on main nationwide insurance policies. He had about 5 million followers on Instagram, based on the Times of Israel.
Mehta’s transfer on February 8 comes within the wake of an October 7 Israeli assault through which roughly 1,200 individuals (largely civilians) have been killed and one other 253 have been taken hostage. The transfer comes amid rising assist for the Hamas group.
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“Khamenei is the world’s most outstanding supporter of the oppressed peoples of Palestine and Gaza, and the Silicon Valley empire can not stop this voice from reaching world public opinion,” stated Amir Abdullahian. .
Despite the Iranian authorities banning Facebook, Instagram, and different social media platforms, together with X, Internet customers within the Islamic Republic can nonetheless entry them utilizing digital non-public networks (VPNs).