Freedom of expression

The Association for Progressive Communications welcomes the verdict of the Supreme Court of India on 6 September 2018 decriminalising consensual sex between all adults, irrespective of gender. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code – a remnant of the British colonial era and Victorian morality – has long been an issue fought against by activists. The court has finally...

The 39th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) is taking place on 10-28 September 2018 in Geneva. Relevant issues on the agenda this session for internet rights advocates include new reports from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the right to privacy in the digital age and on mechanisms concerned with ensuring the safety of journalists (as well as a resolution ...

NGOs call for full repeal of Egypt’s “cybercrime” law and block of dangerous law regulating media. We, the undersigned, call for the immediate repeal of the Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law (“The Cybercrime Law”), as well as the review and reform of articles on internet surveillance and blocking of websites in the law on the regulation of the press and media (“T...

Update (4 September 2018): In the run-up to the 12 September vote in the European Parliament Plenary, we encourage you to join the Copyright Action Week from 4 to 11 September. The goal is to amplify the voices of communities impacted by Article 13. More info on the Save Your Internet website. Republished from the Save Your Internet website.  On 20-21 June, the lead committe...

Freedom of information – also referred to as the right to information – is the fundamental right of an individual to access information under the control or custody of the government. The United Nations General Assembly considers it as an integral part of the right of freedom of expression, which is enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). By its very nat...

To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland 16 August 2018 Tanzania: Open letter to states for joint action to address crackdown on civic space and prevent a further deterioration of the situation Excellency, Ahead of the 39th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (“the Council”), which will be held from...

APC and its undersigned members express concern over the detention of Shahidul Alam. On 5 August, renowned Bangladeshi photographer and human rights defender Shahidul Alam was detained by members of the country's Detective Branch of Police. He was charged with the infamous provision on “spreading propaganda and false information against the government” (Section 57) under Bang...

This submission is a joint stakeholder contribution to the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism for Chile by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Derechos Digitales.  APC and Derechos Digitales appreciate the opportunity to participate in this cycle of the Universal Periodic Review and recognise the important human rights issues being raised by o...