MANILA, Philippines – The official Facebook page of Apollo Quiboloy, founder of megachurch the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and its media arm Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), has been deleted, Rappler learned Thursday, August 17.

An individual who reported the page to Facebook received a message in the afternoon of August 17 from the platform saying, “Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’s account was deleted.”

“Thanks for taking the time to report something you feel may go against the Facebook Community Standards. We removed Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’s profile from Facebook. If Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’s profile is restored, the post you reported might reappear. If this happens, feel free to report it again,” the message went.

The message appears below:

As of writing, the URL facebook.com/ApolloQuiboloy currently reads, “This content isn’t available right now.” This message usually appears if privacy settings prevent a certain user from accessing the content, or if the content has been deleted. Facebook’s message to the individual who made the report is confirmation that in this case, the page had indeed been removed.

Before Quiboloy’s Facebook page was removed, it had over 1.2 million followers as of July 2023. It was Quiboloy’s biggest social media channel in terms of follower count.

Upon checking, Quiboloy’s account on Instagram (@pastoracq), a platform also owned by Facebook parent firm Meta, is unavailable as well. A message reads “Sorry, this page isn’t available,” when accessing the page, which appears if a certain link is broken or if the page has been removed.

It’s currently unclear whether the unavailability of the Instagram page is also the result of a user report leading to deletion.

Rappler has reached out to Meta for details on why the account was deleted, and for more information on the matter, but the tech company has yet to respond.

Specific platform violations unclear but sanctions prohibit ‘technological support’

It is currently unclear what caused Quiboloy’s Facebook page and Instagram account to be taken down. While users are given the option to delete their pages and accounts themselves, Facebook and Instagram’s Community Guidelines also have relevant policies in place that may result in a page or account’s takedown.

For example, Facebook’s policies on Dangerous Organizations and Individuals prohibit violent and hateful entities on the platform, as well as posts that praise and support them. This was evident when the tech company took down the verified account of Chao Tiao Yumol, the gunman in the July 2022 Ateneo shooting. (READ: In aftermath of Ateneo shooting, sympathizers defend gunman online)

As for Instagram, its Community Guidelines have policies prohibiting support or praise for “terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups.”

Quiboloy is currently facing US Executive Order (EO) 13818 sanctions, having been indicted for charges including sex trafficking. He is also on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list.

Under the EO, as the NGO Human Rights First explained in an FAQ, the US government can sanction any person, including US persons, that “have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for” persons in the sanctions list or the violative activities of the sanctioned persons. The rule specifically prohibits “technological support” towards sanctioned individuals.

A Rappler investigative series also found that former KOJC members were deep in debt due to Quiboloy’s financial demands and had suffered emotional and psychological abuse.

His media network SMNI also has a history of spreading propaganda and disinformation as well as attacking and red-tagging government critics.

Facebook’s deletion of Quiboloy’s account and the unavailability of his Instagram page come after the preacher’s YouTube channel was terminated earlier this June and after his TikTok account was banned in July. The two video-based platforms later confirmed that the takedowns were due to his current sanctions in the US, as well as violations of community standards. – with reports from Gelo Gonzales/Rappler.com