Facebook Makes Exception and Does Not Remove Video of Armenian POWs: Media

Meta's oversight board has made an exception, deciding not to remove a video from the Facebook social network showing acts of brutality by Azerbaijanis against Armenian prisoners of war (POWs). This was reported in an interview with Arthur Papyan, co-founder of the 'Cyber Hub' organization and media expert, by Sputnik Armenia.

The video in question was posted by a user following the September 2022 aggression, depicting the violence inflicted upon Armenian POWs. The user captioned the video in Azerbaijani, stating that despite the inhumane treatment of Armenian captives, the European Union is increasing energy imports from the same Azerbaijan.

“The video is an attempt to raise awareness regarding the rights of Armenian POWs and is supportive of the Armenian cause. However, on the other hand, the video contains violations of the rights of POWs, regarding identity disclosure and other issues, which presents certain problems,” the expert explained.

The post was reported by someone, and Meta reviewed the case, considering that the topic may spread to other conflicts and similar videos could be disseminated. After viewing the footage, Meta's moderators decided to add an additional screen that indicates the video contains distressing content before allowing access, as well as attempt to blur the faces of the POWs to make them unidentifiable.

“At the same time, the moderators believed that this carries significant informational value, as it raises the issue of the rights of POWs and is worth remaining on the platform. Previously, moderators were directed by Meta's internal regulations, and I should mention that specifically leaving this video on the platform is a violation of social network rules. However, an exception was made here (the regulations state that if a video contains incidents of violence or elements of crime, which can be interpreted as the promotion of crime or human rights violations, it should be blocked),” Papyan said.

He emphasized that the oversight body, which has a history of two years, was created precisely for such complex cases, to make decisions based on professional discussions rather than adhering strictly to regulations, which could set a precedent. If, in the future, videos are posted on the social network that are significant for the protection of human rights or have journalistic value, they should be accommodated, and the oversight board of Meta may decide not to remove them from the platform.

Interestingly, during these two years, the oversight body has handled only 37 cases, two of which pertained to Armenians. In the other case, however, the decision was made in favor of Azerbaijan.