وصف حالة
The Oversight Board will address the two cases below together, choosing either to uphold or overturn Meta’s decisions on a case-by-case basis.
The Board has selected two cases involving content related to the Syrian group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In late 2024 HTS, an organization designated as a terrorist group by the UN Security Council, led a military offensive that toppled the Assad regime in Syria. In early 2025 the group’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, became Syria’s interim president. He leads the transitional government, which has ordered the dissolution of HTS and other armed groups in the country.
In the first case, an administrator of a public page posted an image on December 7, 2024, containing a photograph of Ahmed al-Sharaa and Arabic text. The text appears to be an excerpt from a speech given by Sharaa that day. In it he congratulated the group’s revolutionary soldiers for subduing their enemy. He also praised them for releasing prisoners of the Assad regime and replacing “the darkness of injustice and tyranny with the light of justice and dignity.” He encouraged them to keep fighting to liberate Syria and restore people’s rights, urging them to “not waste a single bullet except in the chests of your enemy, for Damascus awaits you.” The day after the content was posted, rebel forces led by HTS took the Syrian capital Damascus and toppled the Assad regime.
In the second case, a user who self-identified as a journalist posted a short video in Arabic to their page on November 28, 2024. The video was of a speech given by Abu Zubair al-Shami, an HTS commander dressed in military fatigues and a face covering. In the speech, he quoted the Quran, cited crimes committed by the Assad regime, celebrated the revolution “of pride and dignity” to “recover rights and remove injustices,” and encouraged rebel soldiers to keep fighting. Additionally, in a section directly addressing Assad’s forces, al-Shami said, “you have no choice but to be killed, flee or defect.”
Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy prohibits glorification, support or representation of terrorist organizations, including those that have been designated by the U.S. government as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). HTS has been designated as both an FTO and an SDGT, while Sharaa has been designated an SDGT. On February 25, 2025, Meta issued internal guidance to allow “content channeling official communications from/on behalf of al-Sharaa exclusively when shared in his official capacity as the interim president of Syria.” The company still removes glorification, support or representation of HTS. Meta’s Violence and Incitement policy prohibits threatening or calling for violence that could lead to death.
Shortly after each piece of content was posted, it was removed by Meta under the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy for supporting HTS. Meta later determined that both posts also violated the Violence and Incitement policy. Both users unsuccessfully appealed to Meta before appealing to the Oversight Board. In their appeal to the Board, the user who posted the first piece of content questioned why Meta would ban mention of people fighting for freedom in Syria while “supporting dictatorship” by allowing photos of former president Bashar al-Assad. The user who posted the second piece of content, which was seen by almost 5,000 people in the 15 minutes it was on the platform, explained that, as a journalist, they were trying to inform their audience of factual developments and that Meta’s removal undermines press freedom.
The Board selected these cases to address how Meta’s content moderation impacted freedom of expression in Syria, as people were sharing information from or about a proscribed organization rapidly gaining control over the country during a conflict situation. The cases allow the Board to address how Meta should prevent designated organizations and individuals from using their platforms to cause harm as well as ensure that people are informed of vital developments that may affect their lives. These cases fall within the Board’s Crisis and Conflict strategic priority.
The Board would appreciate public comments that address:
- The impact of Meta’s content moderation in Syria on freedom of expression and security, in particular as designated terrorist groups increased territorial control and, subsequent to these posts, some of its leading members assumed roles in the transitional government.
- The impact of Meta’s content moderation in Syria on vulnerable groups, including religious minorities.
- Media freedom and access to information in Syria, particularly the role of social media and citizen journalism, in the weeks leading up to the overthrow of the Assad regime and the months following.
- The security situation in Syria, with a focus on violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the run-up to and after the fall of the Assad regime.
As part of its decisions, the Board can issue policy recommendations to Meta. While recommendations are not binding, Meta must respond to them within 60 days. As such, the Board welcomes public comments proposing recommendations that are relevant to these cases.
Public Comments
If you or your organization feel you can contribute valuable perspectives that can help with reaching a decision on the cases announced today, you can submit your contributions using the button below. Please note that public comments can be provided anonymously. The public comment window is open for 14 days, closing at 23.59 Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Tuesday 27 May.
What’s Next
Over the next few weeks, Board Members will be deliberating these cases. Once they have reached their decision, we will post it on the Decisions page.
