(KUALA LUMPUR, December 13, 2021)—In an article published on December 13 by the Southeast Asia Globe, Rohingya refugee leader Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani exposed the impacts of hate speech and disinformation spreading on Facebook for refugees living in Malaysia.
“False accusations spread against me on Facebook resulting in me and my family receiving tremendous [amounts of] death threats, threats of physical violence, harassment [and] insults,” Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani told the Southeast Asia Globe.
The article “Facebook Remains a Centre of Authoritarianism and Hate in Southeast Asia” highlighted the lack of effective response from Facebook to prevent dangerous speech and protect its users.
Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani fled Myanmar and established the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (MERHROM) to support Rohingya refugees living in Malaysia. Fortify Rights continues to connect our partners with media outlets and people in positions of power.