Facebook bans Ethiopian LGBT activist for using fake name

Facebook has blocked the account of an Ethiopian activist and LGBT community leader for not using his real name, Time Magazine reports.

Facebook communities created and managed by the activist, who uses the pseudonym HappyAddis, were among the most popular groups for gay Ethiopians. These groups include Zega Matters, which has over 1,000 members.

Homosexuality is a crime in Ethiopia, where those convicted of same-sex relations can be jailed for 15 years. It makes sense, then, for members of the LGBT community to use aliases to interact with each other online and avoid being on the receiving end of punishment and anti-gay sentiment.

HappyAddis’s account was blocked on Friday morning. It seems anti-gay users may have reported him as using a false name.

A spokesperson for Facebook reiterated the social networking site’s real name policy, but offered alternatives such as using a secret Facebook group or another platform that allows anonymity.

But HappyAddis says these aren’t really viable. Facebook is the most popular site, he says, but a secret Facebook group will still require users’ real names and can land him and other members in hot water.

He said, “People will go and attack you. Even other gay people, you don’t trust them. How can you find out whether they’re real gay people using their real account?”

HappyAddis also told Time that the Facebook groups were “where people come to seek information, seek advice, seek counseling from other people.” He is worried that the suspension of his account will lead to other LGBT users being blocked as well.

He said of Ethiopia, “There’s not free press, even political activists have a hard time connecting to each other. For the gay community [Facebook] is much more important. We can’t meet publicly and there’s no [other] way to get in touch with other gay people in Ethiopia.”