Note: For future Facebook updates about Oversight Board cases, please visit the Transparency Center. 

Update on April 23, 2021 at 2:30PM PT:

Facebook re-reviewed this content and determined we removed it in error, and we reinstated it. An existing policy was not properly applied to this content, and it does not violate our policy on Dangerous Individuals and Organizations. Debate over the conditions of confinement of anyone, including individuals associated with terrorist organizations, is often a legitimate topic for discussion. As with other cases where we’ve made an enforcement error, the board is still able to hear and issue a binding decision on the content along with any other recommendations.

Originally published on April 20, 2021 at 6:00AM PT:

Today, the Oversight Board selected a case appealed by an Instagram user regarding a post that featured a picture of Abdullah Ӧcalan, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The post also included text urging readers to engage in conversation about Ӧcalan’s imprisonment. 

We removed the post for violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines on Dangerous Individuals and Organizations, which state that Instagram is not a place to support or praise terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups. The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by multiple countries, including the US and European Union. Instagram’s Community Guidelines also prohibit any praise, support or representation of founders or prominent members of terrorist organizations, such as Ӧcalan.

We will implement the board’s decision once it has finished deliberating, and we will update this post accordingly. Please see the board’s website for the decision when they issue it.