freedom of expression

In the first UPR of Pakistan in 2008, there was no mention of promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms on the internet or right to information. However, it categorically demanded removal of restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, women rights and minorities’ rights. It was also stressed upon the Government of Pakistan to “restore as soon as possible all funda...

It’s short, but it matters. In no more words than a Twitter message, Brazil made many internet rights activists happy in September. It’s worth revisiting this message and putting in context.

In July 2012, Canada, along with 84 co-sponsors at the UN Human Rights Council, confirmed the importance of the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the internet, and in particular, freedom of expression online. This joint submission follows up on recommendations made in the first Canadian UPR and covers the following topics: - Public oversight and transparency in the context...

This special edition of Global Information Society Watch 2011, “Internet rights and democratisation: focus on freedom of expression and association online” features updates from six countries on the state of internet rights and an introduction from the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Jillian York.

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan – of which APC is a member – has made a coalition submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review of Azerbaijan. The report, for which APC has contributed its expertise on “restrictions on freedom of expression online” is for consideration at the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council’s working group in April/M...

“South Africa has adopted some of the more problematic elements of the new post-9/11 surveillance regime, many of which have been authored in supposedly liberal democracies, while failing to incorporate key safeguards that may have been incorporated in these democracies,” says Jane Duncan in an interview for the forthcoming Global Information Society Watch.

Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011, government has shown much desire to regulate the internet. The uprising in the Guba district in March 2012 has shown the pivotal role that social media can play in Azerbaijani political life, Vugar Gojayev told APCNews, in an interview for the forthcoming Global Information Society Watch report.

Bytes for All, Pakistan, strongly condemns hate speech on the Internet, however banning channels of communication, limiting access to information platforms, and steps to curtail free expression only serve to pave the way for politics-based control systems that curb the voices of individuals.