United Nations blames Facebook for spreading hatred of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar

Investigators said social media platform had 'turned into a beast' in south-east Asian country, where 700,000 of persecuted ethnic minority have fled to Bangladesh

Rohingya Muslim children wait for food handouts distributed by a Turkish aid agency at Thaingkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh (AP)

Facebook has played a “determining role” spreading hatred of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, according to a UN human rights team probing an alleged genocide of the ethnic minority.

Investigators said the social media platform had “turned into a beast” into the south-east Asian country, where more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine state into Bangladesh since a military crackdown on “insurgents” last August.

The UN human rights chief said last week he strongly suspected acts of genocide had taken place, but Myanmar’s national security adviser demanded “clear evidence”.

Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, said Facebook had “substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissention and conflict” against Rohingya Muslims.

He added: “Hate speech is certainly, of course, a part of that. As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media.”

UN Myanmar investigator Yanghee Lee said Facebook was a huge part of public and private life in the country, and the government used it to disseminate information to the public.

“Everything is done through Facebook in Myanmar,” she said, adding the website had helped the impoverished country but had also been used to spread hate speech. It was used to convey public messages but we know that the ultra-nationalist 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,” added Ms Lee.

“I’m afraid that Facebook has now turned into a beast, and not what it originally intended.”

Facebook said there was “no plate for hate speech” on its platform.

“We take this incredibly seriously and have worked with experts in Myanmar for several years to develop safety resources and counter-speech campaigns,” a spokesman said. This work includes a dedicated Safety Page for Myanmar, a locally illustrated version of our Community Standards, and regular training sessions for civil society and local community groups across the country.

“Of course, there is always more we can do and we will continue to work with local experts to help keep our community safe.”

EArlier this week Myanmar’s government rejected two reports presented to the UN Human Rights Council that concluded it committed extreme human rights violations, probably amounting to crimes under international law, in its repression of several minority groups.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay claimed reports presented by Mr Darusman and Ms Lee lacked credibility.

The report of the Fact-Finding Mission, chaired by former Indonesian Attorney-General Mr Darusman, was based on hundreds of accounts by victims and witnesses of reported human rights violations, as well as satellite imagery, photographs and video footage.

The mission’s members were barred by Myanmar’s government from entering the country, so its researchers interviewed refugees and others in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand.

Ms Lee told the Human Rights Council that violent sweeps by the Myanmar army in Rakhine state that prompted about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh “bear the hallmarks of genocide.”

Mr Htay said Buddhist-majority Myanmar had barred the Fact-Finding Mission because it rejected its legitimacy. He questioned the reliability of its research and cast doubts on the credibility of the refugees’ stories.

“We are not denying rights violations but we are asking for strong, fact-based, and trustworthy evidence on the allegations they are making,” he told the Associated Press.

He said Myanmar would also no longer cooperate with Lee because she “has made biased, one-sided and unfair accusations against Myanmar.”

Ms Lee told the Human Rights Council that violent sweeps by the Myanmar army in Rakhine state that prompted about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh “bear the hallmarks of genocide.”

She said accountability for the abuses in Rakhine should be “the focus of the international community’s efforts to bring long-lasting peace, stability and democratization to Myanmar.”

“This must be aimed at the individuals who gave the orders and carried out violations against individuals and entire ethnic and religious groups,” she said. “The government leadership who did nothing to intervene, stop, or condemn these acts must also be held accountable.”