"Facebook urged to suspend strongman leader over video threatening violence", 30 June 2023

The oversight board for Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms on said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen should be suspended from the social media site for six months for posting a video violating rules against violent threats.

The board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said the company had been wrong not to remove the video after it was published in January.

Meta, in a written statement, agreed to take down the video but said it would respond to the board’s recommendation to suspend Hun Sen after a review.

Any suspension would silence the prime minister’s Facebook page…

A Meta spokesperson said the company had not suspended or removed his account…

The Cambodia case came after several users reported a … video where Hun Sen said those who accused his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of buying votes in a 2022 local election should file a legal case, or face a beating from CPP’s supporters.

Meta determined at the time that the video fell afoul of its rules, but opted to leave it up under a “newsworthiness” exemption, reasoning that the public had an interest in hearing warnings of violence by their government, the ruling said…

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said Hun Sen had finally been called out for inciting violence.

“This kind of face-off between Big Tech and a dictator over human rights issues is long overdue,” he said in a statement…