A public lecture with the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and
protection of the right to freedom of opinion and
expression
State of Freedoms of Assembly, Association,
Expression and Religion on the Internet in Asia
7:00pm, Friday 6 October 2017
Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
Free Admission & Food will be served before
and after the lecture
****
Join the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and
protection of the right to freedom of opinion and
expression, Prof. David Kaye, for an informative
overview on the current status of freedom of expression
in Asia, particularly online.
The freedoms of assembly, association, expression and
religion are rights that are both interrelated and
interconnected. Increasingly, people are using the
Internet to exercise these rights. Backlash to this has
come in the form of restrictions placed on these
fundamental freedoms by States and outright attacks by
non-state actors.
In Asia, evidence of these trends is seen in: the
introduction of new legislation governing online spaces;
the application of existing legislation on blasphemy or
religious sentiments to censor online content; arrests
and violence against dissenters; and much more. As the
desire of people to use online spaces to express
themselves and come together with like-minded peers
grows, so will attempts by others to limit, curtail or
outright prohibit it. A combination which provides for
an unstable and dangerous dynamic.
Which is why from 4-6 October 2017, the Asian Forum for
Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), the
Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Bytes
for All, Pakistan (B4All), and Global Partners Digital
are organising a regional consultation in Bangkok on the
State of Freedoms of Assembly, Association, Expression
and Religion on the Internet in Asia. The Special
Rapporteur will be one of the key speakers. During the
press-briefing on 6 October the Special Rapporteur will
explore his views on the freedom of expression online in
Asia.
Media contacts in Bangkok:
- For more information or if you want to set up an
interview with the Special Rapporteur, please
contact Marte Hellema, Programme Manager
Communication and Media for FORUM-ASIA at ma...@forum-asia.org, commun...@forum-asia.org
or 0999 46 1108.
About the Special Rapporteur:
David Kaye was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the
promotion and protection of the right to freedom of
opinion and expression in August 2014. He is a clinical
professor of law at the University of California,
Irvine, School of Law. He teaches international human
rights law and international humanitarian law and
directs a clinic in international justice. His research
and writing focus on accountability for serious human
rights abuses and the law governing use of force. He has
collaborated with local and national governments, major
international NGOs as well as those at the grassroots,
international organizations, and academic institutions
around the world.
For a full overview of his background, please click
here.
About the organisers:
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
(FORUM-ASIA) is a network of human rights
organisations across Asia. FORUM-ASIA works to promote
and protect human rights, including the right to
development, through collaboration and cooperation among
human rights organisations and defenders in Asia and
beyond.
www.forum-asia.org
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
is an international network of organizations that was
founded in 1990 to provide communication infrastructure,
including Internet-based applications, to groups and
individuals who work for peace, human rights, protection
of the environment, and sustainability. Pioneering the
use of ICTs for civil society, especially in developing
countries, APC was often the first provider of Internet
in countries where it has members.
www.apc.org
Bytes for All (B4A), Pakistan is a research and
advocacy organisation working at the intersection of
human rights and information and communication
technologies. B4A conducts research for evidence-based
policy advocacy and capacity building of civil society
organisation and individuals on Internet rights and
governance, including their digital/ online safety and
privacy. Bytes for All, Pakistan is a member of
FORUM-ASIA.
http://content.bytesforall.pk/
Global Partners Digital (GPD) is a social purpose
company dedicated to fostering a digital environment
underpinned by human rights and democratic values. It
does this by making policy spaces and processes more
open, inclusive and transparent, and by facilitating
strategic, informed and coordinated engagement in these
processes by public interest actors.
www.gp-digital.org