Rights groups say Meta restricted human rights accounts in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
A joint statement by human rights and digital rights organisations says Meta Platforms geo-blocked Facebook and Instagram accounts of NGOs, researchers, and activists following government requests from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
A coalition of human rights and digital rights organisations has criticised Meta Platforms for restricting access to Facebook and Instagram accounts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The statement was signed by groups including Access Now, ALQST for Human Rights, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Gulf Centre for Human Rights, MENA Rights Group, SMEX, and others.
According to the statement, accounts belonging to ALQST for Human Rights, Democratic Diwan, Saudi researcher Abdullah Alaoudh, and human rights defender Yahya Assiri were made unavailable in Saudi Arabia from 30 April 2026 following requests from the Saudi government. Similar restrictions were also reported in the UAE.
The organisations say Meta’s own content restriction reports show that more than 100 Facebook pages and Instagram accounts have been restricted since March 2026. The restrictions were reportedly justified through references to local cybercrime laws in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The issue is access to public-interest information. The affected accounts include human rights organisations, researchers, and civil society figures who report on political repression, regional security developments, and human rights conditions in the Gulf.
The statement argues that Meta should not treat broad cybercrime laws in highly restrictive environments as sufficient grounds for limiting speech. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have repeatedly used such laws to prosecute peaceful criticism and online expression, according to the signatories.
The groups call on Meta to publish the legal requests it received, disclose the human rights assessments it says it conducted, restore access to affected accounts, and provide users with clearer explanations of which content triggered restrictions.
The source for these claims is the joint statement signed by Access Now, ALQST for Human Rights, American Committee for Middle East Rights, DAWN, De|Center, Digital Action, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Gulf Centre for Human Rights, HuMENA, MENA Rights Group, Skyline International for Human Rights, and SMEX.
