internet shutdowns
APC joined with other civil society organisations to congratulate and welcome Irene Khan to her new role as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to highlight some broad priority themes that require particular attention.
Last month the Economic Community of West African States Community Court of Justice ruled that the 2017 internet shutdown in Togo was illegal. But barely a week later, Ethiopia initiated a nationwide shutdown, serving as a reminder of the persistent threat of internet shutdowns on the continent.
Earlier this month, the Jakarta State Administrative Court declared as illegal the internet shutdowns in Papua and West Papua enforced by the Indonesian government in 2019.
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.
APC joined this call on the government of Togo to ensure that the internet, including social media and other communication channels, remains open, secure and accessible before, during and after the upcoming presidential elections.
APC welcomes the judgment of the Supreme Court of India, which held that the indefinite imposition of internet shutdowns is unconstitutional, and calls on the government of India to recognise and realise access to the internet as a human and fundamental right.
At the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) we are alarmed at the crackdown on Egyptian civil society, which has intensified over the past weeks amidst demonstrations calling for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to resign. Among those arrested is blogger, software developer and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, a friend of APC and key figure in the 2011 uprising.
As an organisation that stands for media freedom and digital rights, EngageMedia finds the recent threats against freedom of expression in West Papua concerning, including undue restriction and harassment, as well as internet blocking and throttling.
In the wake of violence in Sudan, MTN Sudan and other telecommunications companies blocked access to the internet through disruption of various local and roaming cellular data networks, as well as some fixed-line services.
HRC41: Statement by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Women and Media Collective draws attention to the negative impact of the state of emergency on marginalised communities and persons in Sri Lanka.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2020
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