Elections round-up, groundbreaking new research, and our summer beach reads…

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** Inside Expression
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** July 2024
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This month: Elections round-up, groundbreaking research, and our summer beach reads…
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Dear John,


** Elections round-up
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** UK: Labour must repeal draconian UK protest laws
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In his first speech as UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who led Labour to a landslide victory in this month’s election, assured ([link removed]) the nation that ‘politics can be a force for good’.

A fortnight later, 5 climate activists from Just Stop Oil were sentenced ([link removed]) to record prison terms (4 and 5 years) for planning a peaceful protest on London’s M25 motorway – a punishment widely decried ([link removed]) as ‘one of the greatest injustices in a British court in modern history’.

Over the past 10 years, hundreds of protesters have been criminalised under draconian legislation brought in by the previous government. Immediately following the activists’ sentencing, there were encouraging signs ([link removed]) that Labour may scrap these backwards laws. Yet mere days later, 10 more Just Stop Oil activists were arrested ([link removed]) at Heathrow Airport.

As Starmer has repeatedly said, his government will be judged by its actions, not its words. It’s time for Labour to break with the past and consign these damaging laws to the dustbin of history.
Read our priorities for Labour ([link removed])


** India: Time now to reverse Modi’s divisive legacy
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India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party fell short of winning a majority, meaning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to rely on his allies to run a coalition government – for the first time in his career.

Will Modi’s reduced mandate reverse India’s plummeting free expression record? Or will his autocratic tendencies win out? And where next for the ‘world’s largest democracy’?
Read our analysis ([link removed])


** USA: A week is a long time in politics…
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… let alone a month in the long prelude to the US elections.

July has been a whirlwind, starting with the assassination attempt against ex-president Donald Trump on 13 July, which ARTICLE 19 unequivocally condemned. Yet the dangerous rhetoric that followed from some Republican politicians, who falsely blamed the media and President Biden, doesn’t bode well for the remaining election period.

Nor do predictions of ‘ugly and bigoted’ misogyny and racism ([link removed]) against Vice-President Kamala Harris, who quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination when President Joe Biden announced his decision to step aside.

In its first 24 hours, Harris’s presidential campaign raised ([link removed]) a record-breaking US $81 million, including from over 880,000 grassroots donors, 60% of whom were first-time donors.

Does this historic groundswell of support mean that US voters are sick of the grinding negativism of the Trump campaign? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: between now and November, we must guard against the political violence, disinformation, and attacks on media freedom that we have seen this month.
Read more ([link removed])


** News round-up
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** Kenya: Youth protests met with brutal police violence
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Youth-led mass protests have swept across Kenya since 18 June, sparked by proposed tax hikes, government incompetence, and corruption.

In response, the government has sanctioned police violence – including live bullets – against protesters and used geospatial data to locate and abduct ([link removed]) them. In the first month of the protests ([link removed]) , at least 627 people were arrested, over 361 were injured, 39 were killed, and 32 were abducted.

ARTICLE 19’s#FreeToProtest campaign ([link removed]) is active across Kenya. We are urgently calling for an end to police brutality and supporting protesters to seek legal redress.

‘The police response to protests should be treated as a historical injustice. The government has always used violent force to silence dissent.’

– Mugambi Kiai

(Regional Director, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa)
Find out more ([link removed])


** USA: Huge win for free expression at Supreme Court
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The US Supreme Court. (ARTICLE 19)

On 1 July, we welcomed the US Supreme Court decision in 2 cases that will have a major impact on free expression online – not just in the US, but across the globe.

The ruling challenged controversial state laws in Texas and Florida that could have allowed political influence to dictate how social media platforms moderate content.

‘These decisions represent a crucial moment in the global conversation about freedom of expression online.’

– Barbora Bukovská

(Senior Director for Law and Policy, ARTICLE 19)
Find out more ([link removed])


** UN: Progress on SLAPPs, biometric surveillance at protests, and tackling religious hatred
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ARTICLE 19 recently returned from the 56th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC56) in Geneva, where we were active in negotiations for strong international standards on free expression and related rights.

We particularly welcomed the following:
* Freedom of opinion and expression: The new resolution calls on governments to discourage SLAPPs against journalists, and mandates a report and export workshop to explore their impact.
* Religious hatred: A regressive resolution led by Pakistan (on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), which risked fuelling division, intolerance, and violence against religious minorities, was not renewed.
* Protest: A strong new resolution affirmed that governments should not use biometrics to surveil protesters, nor deploy the military during demonstrations.

Governments must act now to make these protections a reality.
Read our blog ([link removed])


** Together for Truth: Uniting to combat fake news in the Western Balkans
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ARTICLE 19 is working with journalists across the Western Balkans to counter fake news and defend the truth.

In a new audiovisual story, the winners of our Ethical Journalism Awards 2024 – part of our #CheckItFirst campaign ([link removed]) – share their experiences of reporting in the region, the struggles they face, and why ethical journalism is the key to unlocking a freer, fairer future for us all.
Explore the story ([link removed])


** Research round-up
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** MENA: Queer Resistance to Digital Oppression
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In groundbreaking new research by ARTICLE 19 and The De|Center, over 5,000 LGBTQI+ people in 8 MENA countries told us how police are weaponising dating, messaging, and social media apps to persecute them – and what tech companies can do to keep them safe.
Explore the data ([link removed])


** Iran: Tightening the Net
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We examine how the Iranian regime is strengthening its hold over the internet through its Supreme Council of Cyberspace, ever-increasing powers, and new hardline leadership – and how governments and companies should respond.
Read the report ([link removed])


** Mexico: Freedom of expression under AMLO’s rule
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ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America reveal the free expression crises that have taken place under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)’s 6-year rule – including an attack against the press every 14 hours – and set out an urgent human rights agenda for Mexico.
Read the report ([link removed])


** Culture round-up
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As summer finally arrives in the Northern Hemisphere (we’ve even had a few dry days here in the UK!), ARTICLE 19 presents a bumper edition of recommended books and podcasts for your holiday enjoyment…


** What we’re reading
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** Fiction
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** Non-fiction
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** What we’re listening to
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Silenced: Georgia’s protests and the battle for democracy

(ARTICLE 19)
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A geopolitical battle is underway in Georgia. In one corner: democracy and closer ties to Europe. In the other: authoritarianism and the Russian bear.

In the latest episode of Silenced, ARTICLE 19’s Nicola Kelly speaks to Georgian journalist Tornike Mandaria about the country’s pro-democracy movement and what it means for this embattled nation.

Listen now on Spotify ([link removed]) , Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , or wherever you get your podcasts.

‘[A] humane and deeply informative podcast … speaking to global reporters who have risked their liberties to document the truth.’

– The Guardian

Views on First: War & Speech

(Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University)

Israel’s war on Gaza has unleashed a wave of censorship in the US. Host Jameel Jaffer asks scholars, writers, and advocates whether our system of free speech is failing us – and, if so, why.

Listen now on Spotify ([link removed]) , Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , or wherever you get your podcasts.

ChangeMaker Chats

(ChangeMakers: Stories of People Changing the World)

Host Amanda Tattersall interviews people who are changing the world – from refugees in Uganda to activists in Hong Kong – and teases out lessons about what does and doesn’t work in social change.

Listen now on Spotify ([link removed]) , Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , or wherever you get your podcasts.

LAST CHANCE: Shape the future of free expression!
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If you’ve read this far, we know you have views about the future of free expression – and we want to hear them!

Our Audience Survey 2024 is your opportunity to shape the global movement for freedom of expression.

Whether you’re passionate about protest, driven by digital rights, or motivated by media freedom, we want to know what matters to you.

But hurry: the survey closes in 2 weeks!

Complete our Audience Survey by 14 August 2024 and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win 1 of 5 book vouchers, worth £20 each!
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