New York (AFP)
Facebook's supervisory board announced Monday that it would deliver its verdict this week on the permanent suspension of Donald Trump's account, banned from using the platform, accused of inciting violence.
The decision is expected on Wednesday May 5 at around 1:00 p.m. GMT and will be followed by a press conference.
Facebook and other social networks have banned the former US president, arguing that the Republican billionaire had encouraged a crowd of supporters to invade the Capitol in Washington on January 6 during the certification of the victory of Joe Biden in the election of November 2020.
Facebook and Twitter justified their decisions by arguing that the former president, who had until then benefited from his status as a public figure, had violated the regulations of their platforms.
But some experts and politicians denounced an attack on freedom of expression, even censorship.
In a period that ended in February, the public was invited to provide comments to Facebook's supervisory board, which said it had received more than 9,000 submissions.
An independent body, sometimes compared to a "supreme court", Facebook's supervisory board has the power to decide disputed decisions to remove content from the largest social network in the world.
© 2021 AFP