Freedom of expression
Re: Threats of internet shutdowns and disruption of online communications in Hong Kong Honorable Chief Executive Carrie Lam; Honorable Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, We are writing to urgently request that you ensure the stability and openness of the internet in Hong Kong. We have received reports that your government intends to censor, disrupt, and block social media and other communication platforms and shut down the internet. On the 27th of August, news media reported that ...
The Association for Progressive Communications condemns the prolonged and intentional disruption of communications services in Jammu and Kashmir by the government of India. It is particularly critical that stable communications infrastructure and services are maintained during times of conflict and key democratic moments such as when significant changes are made to the status of a region and the rights of the people living there. Communications blackouts often enable other violations of human...
Online spaces and digital technologies have emerged as a critical and influential site for feminist activism and organising in Africa. From trending hashtags such as #BringBackOurGirls in Nigeria and #TotalShutdown in South Africa, to WhatsApp and Signal groups in countries across the region where feminists, activists and LGBTIQ people gather to share, plan and commune, digital technologies hav...
The Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) serves as a multistakeholder platform for discussion, exchange and collaboration around internet governance issues at the regional level. At the 10th annual APrIGF, held on 16-19 July 2019 in Vladivostok, Russia, APC and its members played a key role, organising, moderating and speaking at a range of plenary sessions and workshops thr...
Coconet (short for Connecting Communities and Networks) is a platform for digital rights movement building in Southeast Asia. From 20-26 October 2019, up to 120 filmmakers, researchers, journalists, human rights advocates and technologists from across Asia will gather in the Philippines for Coconet II, a digital rights camp. Organised by EngageMedia, the Association for Progressive Communicatio...
Research ICT Africa (RIA) and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) welcome this opportunity to jointly submit written comments on the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) Discussion Paper 149 on Sexual Offences: Pornography and Children, published in April 2019. The Discussion Paper solicits views and comments on proposed amendments to the legislative framework that curre...
Bread&Net is a three-day “unconference” organised by APC network member Social Media Exchange (SMEX), where activists, technologists, lawyers, artists, trainers, journalists, researchers, entrepreneurs and others from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will come together in Beirut, Lebanon from 15 to 17 November to strengthen collective efforts to advance human rights...
Speaker: Salma El Hosseiny By renewing the mandate of the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), the Council has sent a clear message that violence and discrimination against people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities cannot be tolerated. It reaffirmed that specific, sustained and systematic attention is needed to address these human rights violati...
Speaker: Gayatri Khandhadai Thank you, Madam Vice President. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Women and Media Collective draw the attention of this Council to the situation in Sri Lanka. Since the bombings on 21 April, the country has been under a state of emergency, where the police and the security forces have sweeping powers to search and detain citizens. The pres...
Thank you, Mr. President. The Association for Progressive Communications and Derechos Digitales welcome the engagement of Chile in the UPR process and would like to focus on the recommendations related to the impact of digital technologies on the exercise of human rights. Recommendations were formulated by at least six different states on issues ranging from respect for the rights to privacy, f...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2019
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