DIJON: Facebook said on Saturday it would block the livestream of a Frenchman suffering from an incurable condition who wanted to broadcast his death on the social media platform.

Earlier, Alain Cocq annou­nced that he was now refusing all food, drink and medicine after President Emma­nuel Macron turned down his request for euthanasia.

Cocq, 57, who suffers from a rare condition which causes the walls of his arteries to stick together, said he believed he had less than a week to live and would broadcast his dea­th from Saturday morning.

“The road to deliverance begins and believe me, I am happy,” he wrote on Facebook shortly after midnight in a post announcing he had “finished his last meal”.

“I know the days ahead are going to be difficult but I have made my decision and I am calm,” he added.

Facebook has been increa­singly criticised over the way it polices the content it carries and said its rules did not allow it to portray suicide.

“Although we respect (Cocq’s) decision to want to draw attention to this complex question, following exp­ert advice we have taken mea­sures to prevent the live broadcast on Alain’s account,” a Facebook spokesman said.

“Our rules do not allow us to show suicide attempts.”

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2020