Meta's Oversight Board overturns company's decision to remove 'Death to Khamenei' post

Meta’s Oversight Board on Monday overturned the platform’s original decision to remove a Facebook post protesting the Iranian government, which contains the slogan "marg bar... Khamenei". The slogan literally translates as "death to Khamenei" but is often used as political rhetoric to mean "down with Khamenei". The board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said that it did not violate a rule barring violent threats.

The slogan refers to Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and it has been actively used for the past five years to oppose the stringent regime Khamenei administers. The Oversight Board’s decision was regarding a Facebook post published in a group in July 2022 that described itself as a supporter for Iranian Freedom. The post contained a cartoon of Ayatollah Khamenei, in which his beard formed a fist grasping a chained, blindfolded woman wearing a hijab. The post had a caption in Farsi stating "marg bar" the "anti-women Islamic government" and "marg bar" its "filthy leader Khamenei".

The literal translation of "marg bar" is "death to". However, it is also used rhetorically to mean "down with". The slogan "marg bar Khamenei" has been used frequently during protests in Iran over the past five years, including the 2022 protests. The content in this case was posted days before Iran's "National Day of Hijab and Chastity", reported the Oversight Board, around which critics frequently organise protests against the government, including against Iran's compulsory hijab laws.

​​"In the context of the post, and the broader social, political and linguistic situation in Iran, 'marg bar Khamenei' should be understood as 'down with.' It is a rhetorical, political slogan, not a credible threat," the board wrote. The Board made recommendations to “better protect political speech in critical situations, such as that in Iran”, where historic, widespread protests are being violently suppressed. This includes permitting the general use of "marg bar Khamenei" during protests in Iran.

Anti-hijab protests in Iran

The decision by Meta’s Oversight Board came against the backdrop of raging womens’ rights protests in Iran. In September 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody in Iran, following her arrest for "improper hijab". Her death sparked widespread protests which have been violently suppressed by the state. Protestors, led by women, include Iranians from different ethnic and regional backgrounds, nonreligious and religious alike. A new generation of Iranians has risen to oppose the archaic governing of the Iranian regime. 

Defending its decision, the Oversight Board said that the “importance of context in assessing slogans calling for "death to", and found that it was impossible to adopt a universal rule on their use”. Giving examples, the board said, “"marg bar Salman Rushdie", cannot be equated to "marg bar Khamenei", given the fatwa against Rushdie and recent attempts on his life. Nor would "death to" statements used during events such as the 6 January riots in Washington D.C. be comparable, as politicians were clearly at risk and "death to" statements are not generally used as political rhetoric in English, as they are in other languages.”