South Africa votes against internet freedom
South African diplomats voted against a UN resolution that would prevent countries from switching off the internet or blocking their citizens' access to internet.
South Africa has sided with authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and China on the issue of freedom of expression online.
The UN resolution titled “The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the internet”, was adopted when more than 70 countries supported it on 1 July.
Article 19, an organisation dedicated to all matters of freedom of expression worldwide expressed its disappointment with the decision.
“Democracies like South Africa, Indonesia and India voted in favour of these hostile amendments to weaken protections for freedom of expression online.”
The resolution means that countries are bound to refrain from “measures to intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online”.
Article 19 said that these measures include shutting down the internet or part of the internet at any time, such as during an election or in the aftermath of a terrorist attack.
The resolution also condemns violence or intimidation against people for “exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms on the internet”. It also calls on countries to address security concerns online, including privacy.
A “human rights-based approach” was also included in the resolution to provide and expand access to the internet, but South Africa voted against it.
Led by China and Russia, South Africa joined the 15 countries that voted in favour of an amendment to have this section removed.
Burundi, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela were the other countries that voted for the removal of the “human .
There was another amendment aimed at removing freedom of expression language references in the sections dealing with Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Countries voting in favour of the amendment included South Africa, Bolivia, China, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
The full UN resolution is available on Article 19’s website.
