Finland, Chair of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) for 2021, issued a statement on behalf of the FOC during the interactive dialogue on the annual report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan.
The statement highlights the Coalition’s concern with the growing trend of state-sponsored actions to restrict access to online content and obstruct free expression online and offline. This includes the use of arbitrary or unlawful surveillance practices, partial or complete Internet shutdowns as well as online content regulation and censorship, in violation of states’ obligations under international human rights law.
The FOC calls upon all governments to immediately end Internet shutdowns and to refrain from content restrictions or actions that restrict civic space online and offline, inconsistent with human rights law. All governments should act in a manner that ensures a free, open, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet, and fully respects human rights, including freedom of expression.
To read the full statement, please click here.
