An Open Letter to Facebook: On the Hate Speech Against the LGBTQ+ Community in the Middle East and North Africa

In an open letter sent this morning, June 30, 2020, twenty-two regional and international human rights organizations called on Facebook to work against hate speech targeting the LGBTIQ+ community in the Middle East and North Africa. The organizations call for more coordination between Facebook administration and LGBTIQ+ representatives, stronger policies and follow-up measures, and a special training of Facebook staff on this matter.

Based on what the recent campaigns of hatred experienced by the LGBT community in the Middle East and North Africa; campaigns that continue to this day despite the new policies announced by Mr. Zuckerberg on Friday, June 26th, regarding "dealing with any publication that aims to threaten the physical and health safety of building people based on origin, race, nationality, social class, gender, sexual orientation, immigrants, or anyone else, and the assurance that they will be banned”;

We, therefore, ask the Facebook administration to:

Keep holding meetings with members and activists of the LGBTQI+ community in the MENA region to discuss the issue at hand, convoke an emergency meeting, and assure an active and regular follow up on the strategies and outcomes of those meeting,

Activate a mechanism to individually investigate all cases of hate speech, specifically targeting sexual orientation / Gender identity, in accordance with specific criteria that respect privacy and without prejudice to the right to expression;
Apply the same policies applied by the administration for the safety of the LGBTQI+ worldwide, and that hate speech is being monitored, addressed and taken strict measures against;

Train staff and raise awareness on issues related to gender identity, sexual orientation, and minorities’ right (specifically the LGBTIQ+ community);

Appointment of an expert concerned with combating hate speech within the Facebook Wise Council Committee, as well as a representative of LGBTIQ+ people from our region; these people, should obviously be convinced of the universality of human and minority rights.