India
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during the bubonic plague, and now women and queer artists are using the internet and social media to open up spaces for marginalised communities and bodies.
This research from the DEF tries to understand the chronology of events that started rumours, fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 that spread across India.
The Bilal Bagh protests in India snowballed from an all-women sit-in to a highly disciplined, non-violent revolution, even as it headed on a collision course with the Indian state and, as the government claimed, the COVID-19 virus.
APC joined the #KeepItOn coalition and 41 international rights groups from around the world in an open letter urgently calling on the government of India to restore access to 4G high-speed internet access as a first step towards the containment of the COVID-19 virus and related health needs.
This is a compilation of articles and other resources and initiatives featured by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), an APC member organisation, in their latest newsletter.
In this statement delivered during the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, APC speaks to the deteriorating political situation in India and the increase in violence following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Since December 2019, peaceful protests have erupted throughout India in response to the adoption of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. In response, India has witnessed large-scale violence against dissenters and a clampdown on freedoms of religion, expression, assembly and association.
In India, a discriminatory citizenship law has sparked widespread protests, which have been met with arbitrary arrests, excessive force and violence by the authorities. APC took part in a side event at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council which addressed these human rights violations.
APC welcomes the judgment of the Supreme Court of India, which held that the indefinite imposition of internet shutdowns is unconstitutional, and calls on the government of India to recognise and realise access to the internet as a human and fundamental right.
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) condemns the crackdown on peaceful protesters in India, including the harassment of APC staff member Gayatri Khandhadai.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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