Facebook had played a role in spreading hate speech against the Rohingya Muslims, said UN human rights experts investigating a possible genocide in Myanmar. Pointing finger towards Facebook Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar has alleged that social media had played a “determining role” in Rohingya crisis.
The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Myanmar claimed that the Rohingya crisis in the Rakhine State “bears the hallmarks of genocide”. It must be recalled that over 650,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State into Bangladesh since a military crackdown last August.
He observed that the acrimony, dissension and conflict among the public were the result of hate speech, for which he held Facebook responsible.
UN Myanmar investigator Yanghee Lee said that the ultranationalist Buddhists have their own Facebooks and are really inciting a lot of violence and a lot of hatred against the Rohingya or other ethnic minorities. She alleged that Facebook has now turned into an uncontrolled beast.
However, denying UN’s allegations Facebook said there is “no place for hate speech” on its platform.