Freedom of religion

Navigating identities: Experiencing online violence as a Shia woman in Pakistan
Navigating identities: Experiencing online violence as a Shia woman in Pakistan 29 October 2022 Zoya Anwer for GenderIT.org

Shia Muslims are constantly at risk of being targeted with violence online and offline for their religious belief. And when Shia women and queer folks go online, they find themselves at risk of being targeted with abuse from multiple fronts as their two identities combine.

APC calls for Iran to immediately stop violence against citizens and blocking of internet access during the latest protests
APC calls for Iran to immediately stop violence against citizens and blocking of internet access during the latest protests 05 October 2022 APC

The Association for Progressive Communications is outraged by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran as well as deeply alarmed by the ensuing violent crackdown on protests, violations of women’s rights, and widespread internet shutdowns across the country. 

 Tackling online hate speech in Africa and beyond: “We can't trust Big Tech to abide by its own rules”
Tackling online hate speech in Africa and beyond: “We can't trust Big Tech to abide by its own rules” 05 October 2022 Fungai Machirori

Online hate speech has become a fixture of our lives, especially across Africa. We talked to experts in our network and beyond about this crisis, its tricky challenges and ways to counter it, including APC’s recent campaign on International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

Iranian women’s fight for right to life and freedom faces surveillance, internet shutdowns, violence and murders
Iranian women’s fight for right to life and freedom faces surveillance, internet shutdowns, violence and murders 03 October 2022 Hija Kamran for GenderIT.org

In Iran, women are protesting to demand bodily autonomy and their right to live, in the wake of the state-backed murder of a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the morality police. The government is responding by killing more women, attacking protestors and censoring the internet to contain the information.

Universal Periodic Review 41st session – Indonesia: Freedom of expression, freedom of religion and belief, and digital rights
Universal Periodic Review 41st session – Indonesia: Freedom of expression, freedom of religion and belief, and digital rights 11 July 2022 APC, EngageMedia and SAFEnet

This joint civil society submission focuses particularly on digital rights including freedom of expression, the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs), including women human rights defenders, violence against women and misinformation.

Reflections on hate speech and other thoughts
Reflections on hate speech and other thoughts 01 June 2022 Multiple contributors

This report captures the first results of a project aimed at creating generative processes and spaces for discussions in Bangladesh around free speech and hate speech and their implications which could continue beyond the scope and timeline of the project.

Human rights online at the Human Rights Council 49th session
Human rights online at the Human Rights Council 49th session 06 April 2022 Paula Martins and Veronica Ferrari

The Human Rights Council (HRC) held its 49th session in Geneva from 28 February to 1 April. During a long session that covered five weeks, the Council discussed important country situations and thematic issues on the intersections between human rights and technology. 

Interview with Gayatri Khandhadai: "Tech companies’ solution to hate is really no solution"
Interview with Gayatri Khandhadai: "Tech companies’ solution to hate is really no solution" 22 March 2022 Flavia Fascendini

After six years with APC, Asia policy coordinator Gayatri Khandhadai is closing a cycle. In this interview, she takes stock of the learnings gained while coordinating policy-related initiatives and analyses the evolution of critical digital rights issues and spaces in the region.

HRC 49: Oral statement on online hate speech targeting religious minorities
HRC 49: Oral statement on online hate speech targeting religious minorities 09 March 2022 APC

APC welcomes the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief's focus on the use of hateful rhetoric in digital spaces to incite violence against religious minorities, which is of particular concern in India, where women especially are subjected to hate speech and threats online and offline.

"Hated Speech" and the Costs of Freedom in India
"Hated Speech" and the Costs of Freedom in India 07 March 2022 Preeti Raghunath

This research report seeks to draw out the analytical category of "hated speech" by looking at experiences and observations of what it means to speak truth to power and receive hate as it is manifested through varying degrees of violence, across a variety of instances.

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