rights

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and 7amleh - The Arab Centre for Social Media Advancement submit this statement ahead of the Human Rights Council 37th session to express our grave concern regarding the crackdown on freedom of expression and infringements on privacy online for Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.

This research aims to examine the performance of Palestinian organisations in relation to their media activity and their usage of social and digital media in particular. In many cases, the high levels of social media consumption by Palestinian society has imposed such means of communication on these organisations and associations.

In parts of Africa, governments have promulgated cybercrime legislation which has been used to prosecute and intimidate citizens for making any critical expression against governing regimes. They are also introducing special legislation that suspends or limits online mobilisation. But the internet has also increased, among others, people's ability to organise political activity, and increased t...

The actions captured in this report reflect the energy, diversity and growth of the APC network. New members AlterMundi, from Argentina, Point of View, from India, Rhizomatica, from Mexico, Social Media Exchange (SMEX), from Lebanon, and Zenzeleni Networks, from South Africa, have added to the richness of the APC community and the breadth of our reach.

What do we mean when we say economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs) and the internet? This is the question that opened the session hosted by APC at the Internet Freedom Festival on 10 March in Valencia, Spain.