Malaya Movement USA & GABRIELA USA to META & Twitter: Follow Youtube & Google, Shut Down Quiboloy and SMNI Permanently!
For Immediate Release
June 22, 2023
Reference: Tabitha Ponciano, Vice Chairperson of Malaya Movement USA, malayamovement@gmail.com
Pyxie Castillo, Chairperson of GABRIELA USA, gabrielawomen@gmail.com
Malaya Movement USA and GABRIELA USA call on META and Twitter to follow the example of Google and shut down known labor and sex trafficker Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’s pages from its platforms, including the pages of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI). SMNI aids Quiboloy’s trafficking ring, as well as acts as a dispenser of highly dangerous disinformation and red-tagging.
Quiboloy is on the FBI’s wanted list and has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a labor and sex trafficking scheme, wherein he and others from his megachurch, Kingdom of Jesus Christ, fraudulently obtained visas for church members to move to the United States, then forced them to marry or do unpaid work to solicit donations for the church.1 On November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for Quiboloy’s arrest.
"Quiboloy is a menace to society who raped children as young as 11 years old. By allowing Quiboloy the use of their platforms, META and Twitter are aiding and abetting the trafficking and abuse of women and children. He uses his online presence, which has a captive audience of millions, to lure women and children and falsely discredit his crimes and charges against him. Moreover, allowing Quiboloy and SMNI to keep their platform means META and Twitter are ignoring U.S. government sanctions against Quiboloy," stated GABRIELA USA Chairperson, Pyxie Castillo.
Google itself stated that the decision to remove Quiboloy from YouTube is merely in compliance with US sanctions laws, which block Quiboloy’s properties and interests and prohibit “provision of funds, goods, and services by, to, or for Quiboloy’s benefit.” In December 2022, Quiboloy was also one of 40 individuals sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act by the United States Department of Treasury, due to serious human rights abuses.
“Quiboloy should be de-platformed and prosecuted,” stated Malaya Movement USA Vice Chairperson, Tabitha Ponciano. “As the media arm of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ megachurch, SMNI serves as Quiboloy’s mouthpiece and platform to red-tag, malign, and spread disinformation about Filipino human rights activists in the Philippines and in the U.S. This often triggers further human rights violations highly common in the Philippines, like political assassinations, enforced disappearances, torture, and unjust imprisonment. Not only should Quiboloy be prosecuted for his crimes against women, children, and defrauding the public, he should be held to account for being a direct participant in mortally endangering human rights advocates.”
These are more than enough reasons for META and Twitter to take down Quiboloy’s and SMNI’s accounts permanently from their platforms. Quiboloy and SMNI violate META’s and Twitter’s community guidelines and stated commitment to human rights, and should not allow known criminals to remain on their platforms. To allow Quiboloy and SMNI to continue to avail of META and Twitter’s platforms is to aid his crimes. We urge META and Twitter to permanently de-platform Quiboloy immediately.
End violence against women and children!
Fight for justice for all trafficking victims!
Seize Quiboloy's assets and shut down SMNI!
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References:
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/human-trafficking/apollo-carreon-quiboloy
https://www.state.gov/combating-global-corruption-and-human-rights-abuses/
