Bangladesh ‘blocks Facebook’ over political cartoons

Bangladesh has blocked access to Facebook after satirical images of the prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and the country’s leaders were uploaded, say reports.

One man has been arrested and charged with “spreading malice and insulting the country’s leaders” with the images, an official told the AFP news agency.

Officials said the ban was temporary and access to the site would be restored once the images were removed.

It comes after Pakistan invoked a similar ban over “blasphemous content”.

A spokesman for the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) told AFP Facebook had “hurt the religious sentiments of the country’s majority Muslim population” by carrying “offensive images” of Mohammed (P.B.U.H).