Abstract
The last three months have seen Index’s international and UK advocacy work expand to meet the global challenge to freedom of expression.
The World Conference on International Communications (WCIT) signalled a very different future for the internet. Yet for all the engagement with civil society, WCIT ended in failure, with the US, UK and Canada rejecting the final document. Meanwhile, African countries lined up behind Russia, China and Brazil to adopt a framework that the US and its allies viewed as an attempt to open up the International Telecommunication Regulations to top-down global governance via the UN – at the same time introducing the frightening prospect of content regulation by states such as Iran.
In November Azerbaijan’s government hosted the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Baku, a strange choice for an internet freedom conference, as Azerbaijani bloggers and digital activists are regularly arrested, harassed and prosecuted. We ran panel debates exploring internet freedom, where activists and journalists told the audience the problems they’d faced. I also monitored the trial of journalist Avaz Zeynalli in Baku. Kept behind bars during the trial, Zeynalli shouted out across the courtroom, protesting against his year-long detention for which the prosecution have put forward lacklustre evidence. While government ministers paid lip service to free speech in front of conference delegates, the real Azerbaijan was never far away.
With the world dividing into camps on digital freedom, it’s essential for Index to influence the debate to support freedom of expression in democracies like Brazil and India. In January, we worked with the Editors Guild of India and the India International Centre to push this debate forward with a high-profile event in Delhi.
Western democracies need to do more too. The European Union is stepping up to deal with the challenges raised by these two conferences, developing guidelines to help the EU promote digital free expression through its international policy. Index is lobbying at the highest levels to ensure these guidelines are tough and effective.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the Communications Data Bill proposed a regulatory regime that would have empowered the government to collect more data than in any other democracy. The ‘Snoopers’ Charter’, as it became known, was roundly criticised by a cross-party committee of MPs, who scrutinised the legislation, equipped with evidence from Index and other partners. Yet the government seems intent on bringing this bill back to Parliament. We know we’re in for a fight.
The UK’s Freedom of Expression scorecard (http://tiny.cc/9nqyqw) outlined a series of threats to free speech in the UK. Significantly, Index identified the possibility that Justice Leveson’s report into press standards might recommend statutory regulation of the press. Unfortunately, these recommendations were put forth in the Inquiry’s report.
It’s clear that there is much to do, both at home and globally, to protect free speech.