This week, we're at #FIFAfrica25 ! 24 Sept: ARTICLE 19 East Africa, GIBS, Oversight Lab +MISA Panel on Big Tech 26 Sept: Cross-regional lessons for inclusive digitalisation in North Africa with our MENA and West Africa colleagues 26 Sept: Power, Platforms & the People ⬇️ internetfreedom.africa

We celebrate Alaa's freedom after being unjustly jailed for so many years. He should have never been there. And we echo his mother Laila Soueif – whose campaign for her son's release was so incredibly inspiring – when she says she won't rest until there are no political prisoners in Egypt.

The UN Special Rapporteurs’ communication on transnational repression reports on rising violations against activists and minorities. Read more about these cases and China's targeting of Hong Kong, Tibetan & Uyghur protest movements around the world ⬇️ www.article19.org/wp-content/u...

A day we’ve all been waiting for – the incredible news that Egypt has pardoned Alaa Ab el-Fattah after many long years behind bars. Looking forward to hearing from his family that he’s walked out of prison a free man.

UN Rapporteurs' new communication on China's transnational repression, including research from ARTICLE 19 & @thecfhk.bsky.social on arrest warrants for Hong Kongers in US, UK & Australia, reports rising attacks on activists + ethnic & religious minorities spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBas...

Today, a referendum in #Guinea could pave the way for elections and the restoration of democratic values. Authorities must protect fundamental rights and guarantee a fair, inclusive, transparent process. www.article19.org/resources/gu...

Citizens must be able to freely participate in public & political life, says Alfred Nkuru Balakali, Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 West Africa. As Guinea heads for a referendum, we urge authorities to ensure a fair, inclusive vote and protect fundamental rights. www.article19.org/resources/gu...

As we mark 1 year since the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna in Russian captivity, ARTICLE 19 & partners stand in solidarity with her family and loved ones. We demand justice for Viktoriia and call for Russian authorities to be held to account. www.article19.org/resources/uk...

At the UN, work is underway on a Crimes Against Humanity Treaty – and #Iran and #Afghanistan campaigners are calling for gender apartheid to be included. In a new podcast, Jo Glanville talks to leading advocate Professor Karima Bennoune about this vital work. www.article19.org/resources/bo...

On the fifth anniversary of her arrest, ARTICLE 19 calls for the release of Viasna member and human rights defender Marfa Rabkova. Belarusian authorities must free all activists, journalists and independent lawyers held in arbitrary detention without delay. www.article19.org/resources/be...

Happy 10-year anniversary to our incredible partners GFF! Thank you for your amazing work defending freedom in court and protecting democracy. We look forward to many more years of collaboration and holding the state to account.

In dark times, it’s encouraging to have ambitious, powerful words from the new UN president. “The General Assembly must focus on its mandates and deliver on its commitments,” she said, calling for members to build bridges, push for peace, sustainability, human rights. news.un.org/en/story/202...

On #InternationalDemocracyDay we reflect on threats to human rights, the rule of law, and people’s ability to participate – in political life, in elections, and in their communities. We must all come together to defend these rights + support democratic principles. interactive.idea.int/gsod-2025

#Global 🌐 The 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council began earlier this week. @article19.bsky.social will be advocating on free expression and gender equality, #Bangladesh, #Cambodia and #Russia. Read their overview of the key issues: buff.ly/CpO7jX1

Türkiye throttles social media and messaging apps during political & social crises, shutting people off from vital info, undermining democracy and violating human rights at times when the public most needs open and free communication. www.article19.org/resources/tu...

The export of China's Great Firewall model is on the rise. Cyber sovereignty has has 'gained traction in autocratic states,’ says ARTICLE 19's @mcaster.bsky.social – ‘and we’re unfortunately seeing similar language in democratic countries too.’ www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

Bans for insulting the government goes against international law. Ahead of next month's elections, authorities must ensure independent, robust reporting and allow voters to access information they need to make informed decisions about the future of Tanzania. www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/new...

In Kyrgyzstan authorities no longer just react to stories — they are trying to stop them before they are told, dismantling entire newsrooms and effectively criminalising journalism. Valuable reporting on the targeting of Kloop journalists and the rise of censorship. www.occrp.org/en/project/u...

As the NPC reviews #China's #cybersecurity draft amendment, we urge the international community to pay close attention. It must take steps to prevent the normalisation of this repressive model of digital governance globally. www.article19.org/resources/ch...

Today, the ECtHR ruled, in Ilareva and Others v. Bulgaria, that authorities failed to investigate threats against activists. Hate speech and harassment of activists and journalists will not be tolerated, and states must hold perpetrators to account. hudoc.echr.coe.int?i=001-244721

The 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council is underway in Geneva. Find out about ARTICLE 19's advocacy during the session, including on a resolution for women’s empowerment and free expression and highlighting violations in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Russia. ⬇️ www.article19.org/resources/un...

Ahead of this month’s referendum, the interim government must lift restrictions on civic space & allow independent media to report freely. Guinea must uphold its human rights obligations and protect freedom of expression and the right to access information. www.article19.org/resources/gu...

In Kenya, civil society remains resilient and committed to building a freer, more open society – despite the ongoing threats against activists. One of the most recent is HRW’s Otsieno Namwaya, targeted & surveilled because of his documentation of human rights abuses. www.hrw.org/news/2025/08...

ARTICLE 19 welcomes plans for a right to information act in Malaysia – but ‘local sensitivities’ & concepts of protecting ‘national harmony’ are too broad, and cannot drive this effort. RTI legislation must be grounded in international human rights standards. www.article19.org/resources/ma...

The Kremlin's ‘digital iron curtain’ is a full-scale attempt to block news and silence debate in Russia. But people are pushing back. “Circumvention tools are the modern-day equivalent of smuggling banned books across borders," says ARTICLE 19’s Joanna Szymanska. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

In Azerbaijan, photojournalist Ahmad Mukhtar is the 12th person from Meydan TV, which prides itself on publishing the truth and not bowing to censorship, to face arrest. He joins the many media workers held on trumped-up charges as punishment for their reporting. oc-media.org/azerbaijani-...

We must be able to hold tech companies to account and ensure they put human rights at the heart of everything they do. CLARITI - in English and 4 other languages - guides people in taking action for change and protecting the rights of their communities. rankingdigitalrights.org/2025/08/25/i...

🚨 Launching the European Anti-SLAPP Monitor! Developed by @ecpmf.bsky.social & @casecoalition.bsky.social, the tool shows how countries across Europe are rolling out anti-SLAPP protections – where progress is happening, where it’s stalled, and where more work is needed.‬ 👉 Go to: slapp-monitor.eu

Since 2021, most of Tunisia’s democratic institutions – regarding the judiciary, elections, media & tackling corruption – have been dissolved or stripped of their independence. With the demise of the INAI comes a further crumbling of democratic rights + values. www.article19.org/resources/tu...

Foreign judges on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal must stop lending credibility to a system that neither respects human rights nor upholds the rule of law. With @chloecheung.bsky.social @jamesjoseph.bsky.social @mcaster.bsky.social‬ & Keith Oderberg Watch⬇️ www.article19.org/resources/ho...

#ProtectJournalistsInGaza #LetReportersIntoGaza

Following his posts about an MP and local govt, Kenyan blogger Kitovoto Mutinda has been charged with publishing false information The right to scrutinise, criticise & question public officials and institutions is vital to democracies. It must be protected. www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/art...

Mexico's authorities are increasingly weaponising the law to censor journalists and the media. A new report from ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America is essential reading for all who care about media freedom and rising threats against it, including #SLAPPs articulo19.org/las-leyes-co...

With the dissolution of the INAI, the government has dismantled almost all independent institutions – a systematic erosion of checks and balances. Once a shining light in the region for advancing the right to information, Tunisia is now a struggling democracy. www.article19.org/resources/tu...

As the court heard closing arguments in Jimmy Lai’s trial, ARTICLE 19 + @thecfhk.bsky.social‬ held a webinar on the role foreign judges play in Hong Kong's crumbling rule of law. With @chloecheung.bsky.social @jamesjoseph.bsky.social & Keith Oderberg Watch now ⬇️ www.article19.org/resources/ho...

Our friends at @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social are suing Meta for violating the Digital Services Act, demanding Meta offer users of Instagram and Facebook the option to choose a timeline that is not based on profiling. www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b...

In the Gambia, people have the right to protest & demand a fair price to access the internet. 'Authorities must ensure police using violence against protesters are held to account,’ says Alfred Nkuru Bulakali, Regional Director, ARTICLE 19 Senegal + West Africa. www.article19.org/resources/th...

🚨 WEBINAR - THURSDAY 07:30 ET / 12:30 BST: 'Betraying the Law: Why Hong Kong's Foreign Judges Should Resign' Keith Oderberg, former counsel for #JoshuaWong, joins @chloecheung.bsky.social @jamesjoseph.bsky.social & moderator @article19.bsky.social's Michael Caster Join us: lnkd.in/eJbtrQjT

ARTICLE 19 joins partners in calling for the release of artist Gao Zhen, who marks 1 year behind bars, and for China to lift the exit ban on his wife and son. The world must speak up for the rights of artists, children, and those targeted by transnational repression. hrf.org/latest/joint...

Israel says it will investigate what it calls a ‘mishap’, but previous probes have led to nothing – strengthening the belief that the IDF is targeting journalists and silencing essential reporting. The world must hold Israel accountable. reutersagency.com/media-centre...

Attacks against civilians – and this includes journalists – must be investigated. Those responsible must be held to account in compliance with national and international law. End impunity for these crimes.

Four journalists were killed by an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital today, including Mariam Dagga, a freelancer with the @apnews.com. She has a 12-year-old son, who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war. She was a true hero, like all of our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza. tinyurl.com/3cn5c9vb

Intrusive facial recognition is being rolled out by the police without parliamentary scrutiny or public debate. We need to regulate the use of this invasive and harmful technology before we sleepwalk into a surveillance state rooted in racial bias. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Amid reports of police brutality against and growing surveillance of protesters, activists have rejected the Serbian president’s call for ‘dialogue’. 9 months into the protests, people want an election, transparency and an end to corruption. #FreeToProtest www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...

Israel must allow immediate independent foreign media access and protection for journalists working in Gaza.   Attacks against media workers must be investigated and those responsible held to account in compliance with national and international law.  mediafreedomcoalition.org/joint-statem...

📢 FINAL CALL 📢 to submit your #abstract for the 2025 DMA Enforcement Symposium. Submit your abstract or paper on gatekeepers’ compliance with DMA obligations, their impact on users’ rights, how enforcement structure can be improved, and more by 25 AUG tinyurl.com/473v5mtk

ARTICLE 19, a member of the Media Freedom Coalition, urges Israel to allow foreign media immediate access to #Gaza We call on governments around the world to join the call to defend and protect journalists. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/a...

ARTICLE 19 and a coalition of 72 human rights + media freedom groups urge UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to act now to #FreeJimmyLai – a British citizen who has been detained for more than 1,680 days in Hong Kong. www.article19.org/resources/uk...

Registration for the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) Summit 2025 is now open. Join us in Brussels on 13 October to discuss media resilience, economic viability, journalists’ safety, legal protection, AI governance, and the implementation of EU safeguards. www.mfrr.eu/mfrr-summit-...

📣 WEBINAR with @thecfhk.bsky.social 'Betraying the Law: Why #HongKong's Foreign Judges Should Resign' 🗣️Join @mcaster.bsky.social, @chloecheung.bsky.social, James Joseph & Mark L. Clifford. 📅Aug 28 ⏰07:30 ET / 12:30 BST Register: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/414149...