In a landmark ruling, a Kenyan court has declared it has jurisdiction to try Meta, the parent company of Facebook, over allegations that the platform failed to curb the spread of hate speech during Ethiopia’s civil war.
The case, brought by two Ethiopian nationals and a local NGO, accuses Facebook of contributing to human rights violations during the 2020–2022 conflict between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigray rebels.
One of the petitioners, Abrham Meareg, says his father—a university professor—was killed in November 2021 after being targeted in Facebook posts. Fisseha Tekle, an Amnesty International researcher, also claims he was subjected to online hate speech for his work.
Meta had argued that legal proceedings could only take place in the United States. However, the Kenyan court disagreed, citing the presence of Facebook’s content moderators in Kenya during the period in question.
“This case raises fundamental concerns about human rights in the digital era,” the court stated. It will now assess whether social media platforms and their algorithms should be held accountable for content that fuels violence and discrimination.
Amnesty International, which is backing the case, hailed the decision as a step toward holding big tech accountable beyond Western borders.
“The idea of looking at countries outside the US and Europe as mere markets where profits can be made in the absence of accountability must be challenged,” said Mandi Mudarikwa, head of strategic litigation at Amnesty.
Meta is appealing the ruling and declined to comment further.
This case follows warnings by whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021, who cited Ethiopia as an example where Facebook’s algorithm amplified violence, with the company struggling to moderate content across the country’s many dialects.
As the world increasingly questions the responsibility of tech giants in fragile democracies, Kenya’s decision may set a powerful precedent for digital accountability and human rights enforcement in Africa and beyond.
