Coordinated Takedown of Southern Mongolian Activists’ Facebook Pages an Alarming Free Speech Threat, PEN America Says

PEN America thoroughly condemns what appears to be a coordinated campaign to shut down the Facebook accounts of several activists and groups working on human rights in Southern Mongolia, warning that if nothing is done to prevent bad-faith claims from third parties, Meta and other U.S.-based technology companies could continue to be used as censorship tools for states and bad actors.

The Southern Mongolia Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), the Inner Mongolian People’s Party (IMPP), and the Southern Mongolia Congress, all organizations working on Southern Mongolian issues, released a joint statement on October 6, outlining that all three official organizational accounts, and those of their respective leaders, were closed down within days of each other in August 2026, which suggests a coordinated takedown effort. According to the organizations, accounts have been partially restored as of Friday, October 9. 

“This apparently coordinated attack on human rights defenders should sound the alarm for everyone who cares about free speech,” said Erika Nguyen, senior manager in the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center. “No matter where the takedown requests came from, Meta’s apparent willingness to comply with unfounded requests – and thus its complicity in the suppression of speech online – is deeply troubling. Social media companies regularly receive meritless takedown requests; Meta must ensure it is not complying without its own investigation.”

According to the groups, at least one of the accounts was apparently taken down due to a copyright claim, reportedly attributed to a Japanese newspaper. The others were flagged for the vague complaint of “inauthentic behaviour,” in an isolated complaint. The groups report that, in all of the cases, Meta offered no explanation beyond the initial takedown notification email, and did not provide a response to requests for clarification or appeal.

While the origin of these specific takedown requests is unknown, it is worth noting that the Chinese government has a history of using digital repression against Uyghur, Tibetan, Southern Mongolian, and Hong Kong activists, including hacking organizations’ and outlets’ Facebook accounts. PEN America’s Freedom to Write Center and SMHRIC released a report earlier this year outlining how the Chinese government has censored, restricted, or out-right banned the use of the Mongolian language online and in direct messaging apps.

“Takedown and copyright requests play an important role in content moderation, but it is Meta’s responsibility to ensure that such requests are not abused to suppress peaceful free expression,” said Nguyen. “In this case, Meta appears to have failed in its responsibility to prevent the weaponization of its content moderation tools, which resulted in the silencing of vital human rights defenders doing essential work.”

Meta’s human rights policy outlines its commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which is based on international human rights law and includes the protection of free expression. The policy also states Meta’s commitment to “implementing the Global Network Initiative (GNI) Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy,” which state that participating companies “will respect and work to protect the freedom of expression…of their users,” including when faced with demands that suppress free expression. 

The account removals come at a time when Chinese authorities have ramped up their repression tactics, including transnational repression, against Southern Mongolian language, culture, and human rights. China’s “ethnic unity law” came into effect earlier this year, formalizing efforts to make Mandarin Chinese the “national common language” in a bid to further weaken the presence of minority languages, including Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan.

“This all seems to be part of a censorship and repression playbook that increasingly relies on big tech to play the role of censors,” said Nguyen. “Meta and other major technology companies  need to fulfill their commitments to human rights and free expression, which includes not giving in to seemingly politically motivated demands at the drop of a hat.”

PEN America calls on Meta to restore the remaining affected Facebook pages, transparently explain why they were taken down in the first place; and map out how the company will prevent this from happening again.

About PEN America

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.