freedom of expression
“Political expression, minorities, human rights defenders, journalists are under threat in Pakistan.” This was the message stressed at the beginning of a session organised by Bytes for All, Pakistan, on the state of surveillance and censorship in the country, at the Internet Freedom Festival in Valencia, Spain.
“Joining Forces to Fight Censorship and Surveillance” is the motto of the Internet Freedom Festival taking place in Valencia on 1-6 March.
This was the message sent by Malaysian human rights group EMPOWER, in reaction to the latest internet censorship developments in the country.
Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER) is outraged at the blocking of The Malaysian Insider by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). We are alarmed that this is only the latest manifestation of an ongoing and worsening trend of internet censorship in Malaysia.
APC and Bytes for All, Pakistan welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, which rejects the conflict between freedom of expression and freedom of religion and instead highlights their positive interrelatedness and mutual reinforcement.
Violations of freedom of expression in the name of religion, are increasingly taking place online, and disproportionally impact women and sexual minorities.
A recent statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) claimed that Google has “promised” to remove any material deemed offensive by the PTA from YouTube.
Bytes for All, Pakistan and APC demand clarity from the government of Pakistan and Google regarding the terms agreed on.
We are a coalition of Nigerian, African, and international organisations writing to you about the proposed Frivolous Petitions (Prohibitions, etc) Bill that has provisions for social media regulation.
At APC, we remain concerned about the proposed Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill in Pakistan which poses grave risks to freedom of expression, the right to privacy, and access to information in the country.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2022
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