28 civil society organizations call for immediate restoration of social media platform X in Pakistan

A group of 28 civil society organizations, including Amnesty International, have called for the immediate restoration of social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) in Pakistan almost a month after the blockade.

The joint statement signed by Amnesty Inter­na­tional and civil society organizations called for immediate restoration of the platform. “We, a collective of human rights activists and civil society organizations, express profound concern over the incr­easing instances of internet shutdowns and social media platform blocking, specifically in the lead up to and following the general elections in Pakis­tan.

“These actions not only infringe upon the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information but also set a troubling precedent of throttling genuine political discourse including plurality of voices in the country.”

Amnesty described the “arbitrary” blocking of social media platforms as a “sobering illustration of growing digital censorship in the country.”

The statement added that “The complete silence of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is extremely alarming as they have failed to furnish any reasons for its actions and exceeded its mandate to block an entire internet platform. The absence of transparency in the decision-making processes surrounding network shutdowns and platform blocking and complete disregard for any accountability has resulted in an obvious erosion of trust between the state and its citizens.”

In the joint letter, the organizations said: “We are also dismayed by reports of throttling of VPNs, undermining people’s access to information and right to privacy,” as they called for immediate restoration of social media platforms.

The civil society organization urged the government, regulators and public bodies to:

  • Immediately unblock Twitter/X in Pakistan.
  • Repeal sections of the law such as Section 37 of PECA that enable censorship and violate Article 19 right to freedom of speech and press freedom and Article 19-A right of access to information.
  • Act with transparency on decisions that impact the free use of the Internet, including for political and economic purposes.
  • Issue a statement of clarification, outlining the reasons and legal basis for the recent blocking of “X” and other affected platforms.
  • Avoid future actions that obstruct the free flow of information and adversely affect political discourse within the countries and take back all legislative proposals expanding control and censorship over the Internet.
  • Abide by Pakistan’s commitments to uphold freedom of expression and right to access to information under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In a joint statement posted on X, Amnesty International said that the social media platform has been blocked in the country since February 17, 2024. This was the time when a video surfaced on social media in which a government official confessed to manipulating votes in the February 8 general election amid rigged elections which the authorities denied. Netblocks, a UK-based internet watchdog, also confirmed a “national-scale” disruption of X that began amid protests by different political parties following the protests.

28 civil society organizations calling for immediate restoration of social media platform X

Amnesty International is one of 28 civil society organizations that have signed a joint statement calling for immediate restoration of the platform. All of the 28 signatories include:

  1. AGHS
  2. Bolo Bhi
  3. Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD)
  4. Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)
  5. Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA)
  6. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
  7. Freedom Network (FN)
  8. Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
  9. Bytes for All
  10. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
  11. Women Democratic Front
  12. Access Now
  13. Awami Workers Party Islamabad/Rawalpindi
  14. Aurat March Lahore
  15. Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan (DigiMAP)
  16. Alliance for Diversity and Pluralism in Media in Pakistan
  17. Pakistan Digital Editors Alliance (PDEA)
  18. Pakistan Digital Media Association
  19. Progressive Students Federation
  20. Aurat March Islamabad
  21. Joint Action Committee for Refugees ( JACR)
  22. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
  23. Aurat March Karachi
  24. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
  25. Zuka Books
  26. Amnesty International
  27. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
  28. Pakistan Bar Council

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