CARACAS (Reuters) – Facebook has frozen the page of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for violating policies against the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 by promoting a remedy he claims can cure the disease without evidence, a company spokesman said on Saturday.
Maduro in January described Carvativir, an oral solution derived from thyme, as a “miracle” drug that neutralizes coronavirus without side effects, doctors say is not supported by science.
Facebook posted a video in which Maduro promotes the drug because it violates a policy against false claims “that something can guarantee the prevention of obtaining COVID-19 or can guarantee recovery from COVID-19.”
“We are following the guidelines of the WHO (World Health Organization) which states that there are currently no drugs to cure the virus,” the spokesman told Reuters. “Due to repeated violations of our rules, we freeze the page for 30 days, during which time it will only be read.”
Maduro in the video says that Carvativir, which he calls “miracle drops” of nineteenth-century Venezuelan doctor Jose Gregorio Hernandez, who was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church, can be used preventively and therapeutically against coronavirus.
The page’s administrators have been notified of the policy violation, a Facebook spokesman said.
Maduro’s account on the Facebook photo-sharing social networking platform owned by Facebook will not be affected.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In February, Maduro said 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 suspension of accounts.
Maduro frequently uses social media, including Facebook and Twitter, and has sometimes broadcast speeches on Facebook Live.
Venezuela’s official figures on Friday showed 154,905 cases of coronavirus and 1,543 deaths, although opposition critics say the actual figure is likely higher due to limited tests.
Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; additional reporting by Deisy Buitrago; Editing by Leslie Adler