Malaysia’s government is facing allegations of muzzling free speech after the social media account of a leading independent news portal was suspended shortly after publishing a story critical of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
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Prominent online news outlet Malaysiakini revealed that its Facebook pages were temporarily taken down late on Tuesday, hours after it had released an investigative report into the prime minister’s own social media use.
The report alleged that more than 260 suspicious social media accounts were engaged in a coordinated campaign to amplify positive engagement with Anwar’s official Facebook page.
“Meta later stated that the suspension was due to an alleged violation of its community standards,” Malaysiakini said in a statement, referring to Facebook’s parent company.
Access to its pages had since been restored, the news organisation reported. Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from This Week in Asia.
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The episode has prompted criticism from civil society groups and opposition figures, who warn that it signals an escalation in government efforts to curtail dissent and undermine press freedom.