Israeli non-governmental organization Shurat HaDin, which made headlines in 2011 for suing former President Jimmy Carter and publisher Simon and Schuster over his book calling for a two-state solution, has turned its attentions to a company with much deeper pockets, Facebook.
Shurat HaDin has announced its intentions to sue Facebook for violation of US Department of the Treasury sanctions against Iran, on the grounds that 15 Iranian government ministers created free accounts there.
Iran’s new government has been seen carrying out significant reforms of past governments restrictions on Internet access, and has allowed Iranian civilians access to Facebook and Twitter.
That’s a positive sign from Iran, but it won’t happen if Shurat HaDin gets its way, arguing that Facebook is violating US law by allowing the Iranians to sign up for accounts, saying that even “seemingly innocuous material support” could lead to criminal liability for supporting Iran.
Facebook has yet to comment on the matter.
