Amnesty, others urge govt to ‘immediately’ restore X

KARACHI: Amnesty International has asked the government of Pakistan to immediately restore social media site X (formerly Twitter) in a joint statement Amnesty has signed along with 27 other civil society organizations.

X/Twitter has been blocked in Pakistan since February 17. The joint statement signed by Amnesty has expressed concern over what it says are “increasing instances of internet shutdowns and social media platform blocking, specifically in the lead up to and following the general elections in Pakistan.”

Amnesty and other signatories to the statement -- including Human Rights Watch, AGHS, PFUJ, Pakistan Bar Council, HRCP among others -- say that the “arbitrary blocking of platforms... is a sobering illustration of growing digital censorship in the country” and that such actions also “create an environment which contributes to the spread of misinformation.”

The statement thus urges the “government, regulators and other public bodies to recognise that any action that affects the flow of information and limits citizen’s ability to express themselves, has a direct and lingering impact on citizen’s human rights including the right to political participation.”

The joint statement has also pointed to the “complete silence of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)” which it calls “extremely alarming” since the PTA has failed to furnish any reasons for its actions “and exceeded its mandate to block an entire internet platform. We are also dismayed by reports of throttling of VPNs, undermining people’s access to information and right to privacy.”

The joint statement signatories have asked the government to unblock Twitter / X in Pakistan; repeal sections of the law such as Section 37 of PECA; act with transparency on decisions that impact the free use of the internet; clarify the reasons and legal basis for the blocking of ‘X’ and other affected platforms; avoid future actions that obstruct the free flow of information and take back all legislative proposals expanding control and censorship over the internet; and abide by Pakistan’s commitments to uphold freedom of expression and right to access to information under the ICCPR and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.