Right To Know Day, repression and resistance in Iran, and new digital research...

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** Inside Expression
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** September 2024
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This month: Why the right to know matters, how Iran continues to tighten the net, what tech companies must do to resist dictators, and where do we draw the line on AI?
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Suraphon Songruk of the Southern Peasants’ Federation of Thailand, who used ([link removed]) their right to know to reclaim public farmland from trespassing palm-oil corporations. (Reuters/Alisa Tang)

Dear John,


** Right To Know Day: Knowledge is power
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This Saturday (28 September) is International Day for Universal Access to Information (ATI) — also known as Right To Know Day. The theme of this year’s celebrations is mainstreaming ATI and participation in the public sector.

But what does the right to know have to do with freedom of expression?

Why is it so important that we can access information held by public institutions?

And – crucially – what concrete difference does the right to know make in people’s everyday lives?


** To speak truth to power, we need to know the truth
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Freedom of expression consists of the right to speak and the right to know. These twin rights are essential to the achievement of all other rights.

Take, for example, 3 fundamental rights: clean water, education, and voting. These are enshrined in international law and countless national laws, not to mention resolutions, constitutions, and declarations.

But none of these are worth the paper they’re written on unless, when our leaders fail us – when our water supply is contaminated, our kids’ schools are failing, or our elections are rigged – we can find out about those failures, hold our leaders accountable, and demand better.

In other words:

In order to speak out – and be heard – we first need to know the truth.


** A global success story – on paper
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In 1990, just 14 countries had laws guaranteeing ATI.

In 1999, ARTICLE 19 published our best-practice standards on freedom of information (FOI) laws ([link removed]) . Over the next decade, the number of countries with FOI laws increased by a whopping 218% – more than ever before or since – as countries from Azerbaijan to Macedonia followed our recommendations.

Today, 138 countries – home to over 90% of the world’s population – have legal guarantees of the right to know.

On paper, then, the right to know is a huge global success story.


** Stagnation and backsliding
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Yet today, progress on the right to know has stagnated.

At least 55 countries ([link removed]) still lack a law guaranteeing people’s right to information. Some countries have adopted laws that aren’t fit for purpose. Others have good laws on paper, but poor implementation renders them meaningless.

Worst of all, in some countries, the right to know is being actively eroded. At the time of writing, the government in Slovakia ([link removed]) is proposing new restrictions on FOI, Iraq ([link removed]) is planning to make a damaging bill into law, and Mexico ([link removed]) ’s national transparency institution is in existential danger.

One thing is clear: this Right To Know Day is not the time to rest on our laurels.


** The power of our voices
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But while some countries are backsliding, others are progressing:
* In Senegal this month, the government took positive steps ([link removed]) to advance transparency, ATI, and citizen participation.
* In the EU last September, the European Court of Justice was forced to end its culture of secrecy ([link removed]) and allow the public to access Court documents.
* And in Kenya, the regulations that make the ATI law a reality finally came into force in February 2023.

None of these wins were benevolent gifts from on high. They were the result of relentless advocacy, over many years and in the face of stiff opposition, by ARTICLE 19 and its partners.

When we raise our voices together, we can make the right to know a reality, which empowers people to claim all their other rights – as the success stories below show.
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** Senegal
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Injured mothers ask for – and receive – medical treatment
Find out more ([link removed])
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** Indonesia
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Marginalised parents hold their children’s school accountable
Find out more ([link removed])
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** Brazil
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Thousands of Indigenous lives saved

during Covid-19
Find out more ([link removed])


** Join us to celebrate Right To Know Day!
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On 1–2 October, ARTICLE 19 will participate in the Celebration of International Day for Universal ATI held by UNESCO and the government of Ghana, where we will explore advancing access to information in government institutions, and how to use ATI to empower youth and persons with disabilities.

Join us — in Ghana or online!
Register now ([link removed])


** News round-up
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** Iran: Digital repression — and resistance — 2 years after the death of Mahsa Jhina Amini
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A woman holds a picture of Mahsa Jhina Amini at a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Brussels on 23 September 2022. (Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock)

On 16 September, the world marked 2 years since the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Jhina Amini. Her death catalysed the birth of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement – Iran’s biggest protest movement since the 1979 revolution.

In a remarkable show of unity, the rich protested shoulder to shoulder with the working class, men shoulder to shoulder with women, and the religious majority shoulder to shoulder with religious minorities. Despite the huge personal risks, Iranians of all demographics dismantled their carefully erected barriers of self-censorship to join the uprising – both online and offline.

2 years on, the people of Iran continue to resist. Examples of breathtaking bravery abound – like the women who, having been arrested for wearing ‘improper’ hijab, have even refused to wear hijab to attend court ([link removed]) .

But the Islamic Republic’s brutal repression also continues. In response to the uprising, the regime unlawfully killed ([link removed]) hundreds of people and injured, arrested, and tortured thousands of others – women, men, and children. They have intensified their efforts to create a state of tech-enabled gender apartheid ([link removed]) , as ARTICLE 19’s Mahsa Alimardani recently told the BBC ([link removed]) . They have arrested and brutally ([link removed]) persecuted hundreds of people for expressing their views online.

And that’s when people can get online in the first place. Internet shutdowns and censorship have continued apace, especially during protests, creating information blackouts that enable the authorities to murder and maim with impunity. Tech-savvy Iranians have used VPNs to get online – only for the regime to disable those VPNs.

In a country with no press freedom, social media is a vital tool for people to access information about what’s really happening on the ground. What’s more, the images and videos shared by people in Iran are often the only evidence of the regime’s human rights abuses.

If people in Iran can’t get online, they lose a vital avenue for expressing dissent, organising protests, and sharing evidence of the regime’s crimes; if nobody outside Iran knows the truth, international solidarity is severely curtailed; and if there is no evidence of the regime’s crimes, the regime can’t be held accountable.

By heavily censoring the internet, Iran’s corrupt leaders create a cycle of oppression for all Iranians.

And that, of course, is exactly why they do it.
Find out more ([link removed])


** New podcast series: Digital Freedom in Iran
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In a new 4-part podcast series of Boundaries Expression, journalist Jo Glanville talks to human rights advocates about the state of online freedom in Iran and the future for freedom of expression.

In episode 1, out today (26 September), Jo meets Afsaneh Rigot (author of ARTICLE 19’s groundbreaking research, Queer Resistance to Digital Oppression in MENA ([link removed]) ) and Mahsa Alimardani (Senior MENA Programme Officer at ARTICLE 19).

Tune in to find out how Iran targets the queer community online – and what needs to be done to protect them.
Listen now ([link removed])


** Lebanon: Urgent call for an investigation into attacks on communication devices
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People gather as smoke rises from a mobile shop in Sidon, Lebanon, 18 September 2024. (Reuters/Hassan Hankir)

ARTICLE 19 condemns the recent attacks in Lebanon and Syria, involving the detonation of pagers and other wireless communication devices, which resulted in numerous civilian casualties and injuries.

Pagers and walkie-talkies thought to be used by members of Hezbollah were detonated almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on 17 and 18 September, killing at least 37 people (including at least 4 civilians) and injuring more than 2,931 ([link removed]) .

Although the Israeli government has not directly claimed responsibility, the Israeli defence minister declared ‘a new era of war’ and praised the ‘excellent achievements’ of the Israel Defense Forces, as well as Israel’s security and intelligence agencies, following the attacks. This has been interpreted ([link removed]) as a tacit acknowledgement of Israel’s role.

Every day, civilians use electronic devices like the ones targeted to get online, stay in touch with family and friends, access and share news, conduct their business, and study. Targeting them has led to innocent people avoiding their laptops and mobile phones due to fear. Doctors – urgently needed in the wake of such an attack – threw away their pagers ([link removed]) . Misinformation circulated that even home WiFi routers were a danger. This atmosphere of fear around the devices people use to communicate and access information had a chilling effect on their right to speak and to know.

We join widespread calls for a prompt and independent international investigation into the circumstances of these explosions. Those responsible must be held to account.
Find out more ([link removed])


** Our latest research
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** Engaging tech for internet freedom in authoritarian countries
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Protest against internet ban in Rakhine State, Myanmar, February 2020. (NYUNT WIN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

This week, ARTICLE 19 published new research examining the human rights responsibilities of tech companies operating in authoritarian countries.

Authoritarian leaders frequently demand that tech companies assist them with heavy censorship, promoting propaganda, surveilling the public, and accessing private user data. In such situations, what should the private sector do?

In our latest reports, ARTICLE 19:
* Explores how, despite making public commitments to uphold human rights, Western tech companies have typically complied with such demands across China, Myanmar, and Vietnam
* Argues that even if domestic law or circumstances make things challenging, companies must honour their responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and respect human rights standards to the greatest extent possible
* Outlines clear steps that tech companies must take to resist authoritarian leaders’ demands and to ensure people can exercise their right to free expression

It’s time for tech companies to stop corroborating with digital dictators and start protecting their users in repressive regimes.
Explore the research ([link removed])


** AI: Where do we draw the line?
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A growing number of states and private companies are deploying advanced AI tools to monitor, track, and surveil people, affecting over 87% of the world’s population – about 8 out of 9 people.

From monitoring parking lots to watching what we buy, and from the mass gathering of sensitive data (like eye scans and fingerprints) to deploying facial-recognition technologies at scale, some use cases may be legal, but others are unnecessary, and many leave us exposed and unsafe. Crucially, a wide range of use cases fall into an unregulated grey area – precisely because they fail to consider the risks to people.

ARTICLE 19’s latest report enables civil society organisations, governments, and anyone concerned about the uncritical adoption of AI tech to consider the legal and political conditions at play – and, in turn, to determine which approaches may be most effective in stopping these technologies from being deployed against the public.
Read the report ([link removed])


** Eastern Africa: Resisting attacks on expression at every turn
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Protest against Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Act in Pretoria, South Africa, on 31 March 2023. (Reuters/Alet Pretorius)

Across Eastern Africa, the democratic reversals captured in our Global Expression Report ([link removed]) are having a devastating impact on people’s right to speak and to know.

But whether successfully lobbying for a new resolution at the African Commission, ensuring community radio stations tackle sexual harassment, or supporting activists to build supportive social movements, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa met this repression with resistance at every turn throughout 2023.
Find out more ([link removed])


** Upcoming events
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** Global Gathering 2024
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** (Estoril, Portugal, 27–29 September)
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This weekend, we’ll be in Portugal for Team CommUNITY’s much-loved Global Gathering: 3 days of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, brainstorming, and rejuvenation for digital rights defenders from around the world.

Event activities will focus on enhancing networking and collaborative discussions through meetups, workshops, project showcases, and much more.

Come and say hi at the ARTICLE 19 stall (Booth 22)!
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** Tech and Society Summit
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** (Brussels, Belgium, 1 October)
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ARTICLE 19 is co-hosting the Tech and Society Summit next Tuesday (1 October) in Brussels, with EDRi and around 40 civil society organisations.

The summit aims to foster dialogue and debate between civil society and recently elected EU decision-makers, focusing on the intersection of technology, society, and the environment.

Dr Simonetta Vezzoso, an adjunct professor at the University of Trento and international competition lawyer working with ARTICLE 19, will speak on a panel about how to break up Big Tech’s power and build an alternative, people-led digital future.

Attendance is invite-only. To join, email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Find out more ([link removed])


** Afghan journalist Sanjar Sohail talks to Silenced
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On 15 August 2021, veteran journalist Sanjar Sohail watched in horror as the Afghan capital Kabul fell to the Taliban – again.

Though he was safe at his home in Canada, Sanjar was responsible for a network of reporters across Afghanistan. 15 years earlier, he had set up Hasht-e-Subh ([link removed]) , an independent media outlet known for digging up stories that those in power wanted to bury. Now that the Taliban had returned, its reporters’ lives were at immediate risk.

Yet journalists continued to undertake their vital work: bearing witness, gathering evidence of the Taliban’s human rights violations, and making sure people around the world had accurate information about what was going on.

In the latest episode of Silenced, Nicola Kelly speaks to Sanjar about his recollections from the takeover, how his reporters operate and keep their sources safe under the Taliban, and why – despite everything – he is optimistic for Afghanistan’s future.

‘Journalists and media outlets fighting for freedom of information, for access to information, for freedom of the media – it’s not possible with the Taliban. They don’t want that … they want one narrative to control the entire society.’

– Sanjar Sohail
Listen now ([link removed])


** Celebrate Right To Know Day with ARTICLE 19!
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On 1–2 October, we’ll be at the Celebration of International Day for Universal ATI, held by UNESCO and the government of Ghana.

Join us – in Ghana or online!
Register now ([link removed])

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