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Paris court hears Facebook ‘censorship’ case over nude art

PARIS (AP) – A French teacher is suing Facebook for alleged censorship because his account got suspended in 2011 after he posted a photo of a famous 19th-century nude painting.

After years of legal battle by Facebook to escape a trial in France, a Paris civil court is set to hear the case Thursday.

The account was suspended hours after Frederic Durand-Baissas, a 59-year-old Parisian teacher and art lover, posted a photo of Gustave Courbet’s 1866 painting “The Origin of the World,” which depicts female genitalia.

Durand-Baissas wants his account reactivated and is asking for 20,000 euros ($23,500) in damages. He also wants Facebook to explain why his account was closed.

Facebook has since changed its standards policy to now allow photographs of nude figures in art.