Human Rights Council

APC and the Myanmar ICT for Development Organization thank the Special Rapporteur for her report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, particularly for highlighting how ICTs are being leveraged to perpetuate violations against religious minorities such as the Rohingya.

In this statement delivered during the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, APC speaks to the deteriorating political situation in India and the increase in violence following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act. 

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) participated in a side event at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC43) to look at how to move forward on safeguarding the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and gender equality.

In this statement delivered during the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, APC welcomed a gender perspective being integrated into the work of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and the adoption of intersectionality as a framework in the digital age.

Since December 2019, peaceful protests have erupted throughout India in response to the adoption of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. In response, India has witnessed large-scale violence against dissenters and a clampdown on freedoms of religion, expression, assembly and association.

At the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, states will consider a resolution extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders for three years. Civil society organisations including APC are calling on all states to support the extension.

APC’s priorities at this HRC session include gender and privacy online, freedom of religion or belief, and the criminalisation of human rights defenders, journalists and digital security and tech expertise, as well as highlighting violations of internet rights in countries like India and Myanmar.

In India, a discriminatory citizenship law has sparked widespread protests, which have been met with arbitrary arrests, excessive force and violence by the authorities. APC took part in a side event at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council which addressed these human rights violations.