Palestinian digital rights group Sada Social sent a formal complaint to Facebook for the arbitrary censorship of content posted on the platform by Palestinian journalists and activists.

The complaint, which was also sent to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, requested an urgent review of and explanation for decisions made by Facebook to suspend accounts and posts that are affiliated with Palestinian news agencies and commentators.

The letter, sent by the London-based law firm Bindmans LLP, comes amidst a recent and very clear escalation in journalistic censorship by the social media giant against Palestinian content. The complaint states that Facebook has breached the fundamental right to freedom of expression and Facebook's own Corporate Human Rights Policy.

Sada Social said in a statement that it has been monitoring the suspension of Palestinian content and accounts on Facebook and other social media platforms since 2017.

This year the group has documented hundreds of instances of inappropriate censorship of social media content that supports the rights of Palestinians by social media platforms. The NGO said it was investigating 159 Palestinian-related Facebook accounts, which appear to have been censored without a reasonable basis.