Facebook has explicitly banned Holocaust denial for the first time.

Axar.az informs that, the social network said its new policy prohibits "any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust".

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg wrote that he had "struggled with the tension" between free speech and banning such posts, but that "this is the right balance".

Two years ago, Mr Zuckerberg said that such posts should not automatically be taken down for "getting it wrong".

"I'm Jewish and there's a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened," he told Recode at the time.