The Gambia has won a court battle against Facebook regarding content the social media network deleted from the banned Myanmar accounts relating to anti-Rohingya hate speech and incitement to violence.
In June 2020, The Gambia initiated discovery proceedings before the United States D.C District Court to compel Facebook to provide content it deleted from the banned Myanmar accounts relating to anti-Rohingya hate speech and incitement to violence.
On Wednesday 22nd September, 2021 Judgement was granted in favour of Gambia Government at the US District court for the District of Columbia granting almost the entirety of The Gambia’s discovery request from Facebook under 28 USC 1782.
A statement by from Justice Ministry added: “As a result of this order, Facebook will now be required to produce all of the content it deleted from the banned Myanmar accounts relating to anti-Rohingya hate speech and incitement to violence. It must also produce its nonprivileged documentation that relates to the internal investigation of its role in the Rohingya genocide.
This is welcoming news for The Gambia’s case against Myanmar as it means that compliance of this Order by Facebook would ensure a significant production of information that could support the Gambia in its current case against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)”.
