CARACAS (Reuters) – Facebook has frozen Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s page for violating policies against spreading misinformation about COVID-19 by promoting a remedy it claims can cure the disease without evidence, one said. company spokesman Saturday.
Maduro described Carvativir, an oral solution derived from thyme, in January as a ‘miracle drug’ that neutralizes the coronavirus without side effects, a claim doctors say is not backed by science.
Facebook has removed a video of Maduro promoting the drug for violating a policy against false claims “that something can guarantee that COVID-19 will be prevented or that can guarantee the recovery of COVID-19.”
“We follow WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines that say there is currently no medication to cure the virus,” the spokesman told Reuters. “Due to repeated violations of our rules, we are also freezing the page for 30 days during which it will be read-only.”
Maduro says in the video that Carvativir, which he calls “ miracle drops ” by the 19th-century Venezuelan physician Jose Gregorio Hernandez who has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, can be used preventively and therapeutically against the coronavirus.
The page’s administrators have been notified of the violation of the policy, the Facebook spokesperson said.
Maduro’s account on the social media platform Instagram for photo sharing, which is owned by Facebook, is not affected.
Venezuela’s Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Maduro said in February that Facebook had ‘censored’ videos showing Carvativir. He has said in the past that he and his allies have been treated unfairly by social media companies, including what he calls arbitrary account suspension.
Maduro regularly uses social media, including both Facebook and Twitter, and has at times broadcast speeches via Facebook Live.
Venezuela’s official figures as of Friday showed 154,905 coronavirus cases and 1,543 deaths, although opposition critics say the actual figure is likely higher due to limited testing.
Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Editing by Leslie Adler