Facebook Denies Being Instructed to Remove Al Jazeera's Investigative Report

Controversial statements have been made about whether the investigative report titled 'All the Prime Minister's Men' published in the international media Al Jazeera will remove Facebook.

Several media outlets in Bangladesh quoted Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mostafa Jabbar as saying that Facebook authorities had agreed to remove the Al Jazeera report and that action would be taken soon.

The minister was quoted as saying that a copy of the court's directive had been sent to Facebook authorities and that they would remove the Al Jazeera report.

Against such a background, a statement was issued on behalf of Facebook on Saturday night.

"We have not received written instruction from the High Court to remove the documentary from the BTRC. We have not made any statement on the matter," Facebook said.

Benchmark PR, a public relations firm in Bangladesh, sent the statement via email to Facebook.

The High Court on February 16 ordered the BTRC to immediately remove the report aired on Al Jazeera Television on the activities of the Bangladesh Army Chief and his brothers from online platforms and all forms of social media.

Contacted by Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mostafa Jabbar about Facebook's statement, he told BBC Bangla that a lawyer's copy of the court's verdict had been sent to Facebook, not a certified copy of the full court's verdict.

Mr. "A copy of the court's verdict has not yet been released. What we have sent is a lawyer's copy," Jabbar said.

He said Facebook and YouTube authorities were being contacted even before the High Court issued the order.

The minister said it was difficult to remove any information when a media outlet like Al-Jazeera published it. If there is a court verdict, they will consider it, according to Facebook. That is what Minister Mostafa Jabbar is demanding.