Freedom of expression
Over the past few years, Macedonia has seen a backslide in democracy and human rights, including the swift enactment of a repressive new Media and Defamations laws.
At the NETmundial opening ceremony in Sao Paulo, President Dilma Rousseff sanctioned the historic Marco Civil Internet Bill of Rights, which was formally approved by the national parliament in March.
APC welcomes the new Internet Rights and Freedoms Bill proposal launched by Green Party Member of Parliament Gareth Hughes in New Zealand. We believe it adds to the progressive trend to put internet rights at the centre of the political debate and opens the opportunity to address internet freedoms in a structural way.
Background In Sudan there are four licensed telecommunications companies – Sudani, Zain, MTN and Canar ‒ which provide both internet and mobile phone services. Zain, MTN and Canar are foreign-owned companies, while the government owns 22% percent of Sudani shares and the rest are owned by private investors.
APC joins the international community in congratulating member and friend Shahzad Ahmad on his recent Doughty Street Advocacy Award, and is proud to stand with Ahmad in the fight for freedom of expression wherever it is threatened.
The final adoption of recommendations made to Nigeria at the Universal Periodic Review took place on the 20th of March 2014 (video available here). Nigeria, a member state of the UN, was previously reviewed at the 17th session of the UPR in October 2013.
APC urges the Turkish government to respect international human rights standards and to immediately cease blocking, filtering and censorship of content and expression online.
APC expresses concern over the Turkish government’s decision to block access to Twitter in the country. We are particularly concerned in the light of Turkey being the host country of the 2014 Internet Governance Forum, a space that strives for a democratic and inclusive internet.
The UN Human Rights Council officially adopted the outcome report on Malaysia’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) today. “It is disappointing that while Malaysia received the most recommendations regarding the abolition of the death penalty, all such recommendations were rejected,” said a coalition of Malaysian NGOs in a statement supported by APC.
Civil society groups spoke out today at the Human Rights Council 25th session in Geneva as Nigeria rejects recommendations to ensure the universality of human rights as part of its Universal Periodic Review.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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