Censorship

In jurisdictions around the world, there are laws or administrative practices that can be abused to censor critical voices on- and offline.

Criminal defamation laws are easily abused by authorities to limit scrutiny and to stifle public debates, and are often used against journalists reporting on controversial issues, or members of the public expressing themselves online.

Equally, laws that criminalise so-called “false news” provide public authorities with a powerful instrument to control journalistic activities: allowing public officials to decide what counts as truth is tantamount to accepting that the forces in power have a right to silence any opposition.    Like ‘hate speech’ or terrorism, the notion of “fake news” is too vague to prevent subjective and arbitrary interpretation.

Laws that seek to deal with the dissemination of unlawful content on social media also often fail to comply with international standards, by being too broad and therefore encouraging social media platforms to over-censor.

While forms of censorship have evolved with the growth of the internet as a space for expression, efforts by states to restrict the right to freedom of opinion and expression through vague and broad provisions are still a frequent occurrence.

Malaysia: Abolish publications act and end censorship
29.05.2025 3 min read

Malaysia: Abolish publications act and end censorship

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US: Content moderation should serve human rights not political agendas
28.05.2025 3 min read

US: Content moderation should serve human rights not political agendas

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Jordan: Lift ban on news sites and protect the right to freedom of expression
23.05.2025 8 min read

Jordan: Lift ban on news sites and protect the right to freedom of expression

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Tanzania: Democracy dies when dissent is crushed
21.05.2025 10 min read

Tanzania: Democracy dies when dissent is crushed

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Türkiye: Time for the EU to act on human rights and rule of law violations
16.05.2025 14 min read

Türkiye: Time for the EU to act on human rights and rule of law violations

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China: Release journalist and human rights defender Zhang Zhan
14.05.2025 10 min read

China: Release journalist and human rights defender Zhang Zhan

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Türkiye: Big Tech must defend users’ right to freedom of expression
09.05.2025 2 min read

Türkiye: Big Tech must defend users’ right to freedom of expression

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Yemen: Press freedom hampered by systematic repression and widespread impunity
03.05.2025 7 min read

Yemen: Press freedom hampered by systematic repression and widespread impunity

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Hong Kong: Solidarity with artist Badiucao as he faces legal harassment
11.04.2025 7 min read

Hong Kong: Solidarity with artist Badiucao as he faces legal harassment

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