A recent study by Surfshark, a cybersecurity firm, reveals that five African countries pledged to uphold free internet in 2021 United Nations resolution, yet imposed 16 restrictions since.
A resolution on “the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the internet was adopted at the UN Human Rights Council by a vote with strong support on 13 July 2021 with the aim of protecting and promoting human rights online. It was led by a core group of Brazil, Nigeria, Sweden, Tunisia and the United States, and co-sponsored by 70 countries from across all regions.
The study analyzed the UN countries’ stances in the 2021 UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution on the promotion, protection, and enjoyment of human rights online by comparing countries’ stances with data from the Internet Shutdown Tracker, and identified 5 African countries that claimed to support the resolution but “broke their word” by imposing internet restrictions.
The defaulting African countries were; Nigeria, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Somalia.
Nigeria had banned Twitter on 4 June 2021, a month before the resolution’s adoption. The restriction lasted until January 2022.
Reacting to this, Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, Surfshark spokeswoman said “Internet shutdowns have become a major concern. Authoritarian governments frequently employ them as a means to manipulate the public and stifle free speech. The UN resolution on human rights on the internet aims to make countries openly condemn these shutdowns and other ways of restricting online speech. However, it’s concerning that even though 5 African countries publicly supported the resolution, they still imposed internet restrictions. It’s important to promote an open and accessible internet and pressure countries to uphold their commitments regarding human rights online.”
According to the report, Sudan has broken its pledge the most in Africa, with nine internet disruptions that took place after the country supported the 2021 resolution, the first one happening amid the 2021 military coup.
Burkina Faso comes in second with four restrictions since the resolution’s adoption in 2021. The country’s 2022 restriction on Facebook is still in place today. Mauritania and Somali both had one internet restriction since supporting the resolution. Mauritania restricted mobile internet amid a prison riot, and Somalia had an internet blackout after the parliament voted to remove the prime minister.
Nine countries from other continents also “broke their word”: India, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, Armenia, Indonesia, and Ukraine.
Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker reveals that there were a total of 58 internet disruptions in 14 countries during or after the adoption of the resolution.
India stands out as the country that has “broken its word” the most, with 19 internet disruptions since the resolution’s adoption in 2021, adding that the number would even be higher if it added the Jammu and Kashmir region.
The Human Rights Council convenes at least three regular sessions annually. The upcoming 53rd session is scheduled to hold between June and July 2023.
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