Rohingya Refugees Seek Action on Facebook Hate Speech, India

Two Rohingya refugees have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court, urging Facebook India Online Services Pvt. Ltd. to take action against hate speech and harmful content originating in India and targeted towards the Rohingya community. The plea highlights that Rohingya refugees in India face disproportionate targeting on Facebook, with harmful content labeling them as terrorists and infiltrators and exaggerating their numbers in the country. The refugees’ lawyer, Advocate Kawalpreet Kaur, argues that the presence of such content raises concerns about the safety of the Rohingya in India, as similar content was found to have incited violence against the Rohingya in the past. The PIL emphasizes the dire living conditions of Rohingya refugees in India, who lack access to basic amenities and are under constant physical threat. The plea asserts that the Rohingya issue is frequently exploited for political purposes in both India and Bangladesh, resulting in an abundance of harmful content on Facebook. Currently, Bangladesh shelters one million Rohingya refugees, while India is home to approximately 74,600. The PIL calls for prompt monitoring and removal of hate speech and harmful content to safeguard the Rohingya community in India and elsewhere.