A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has strongly condemned internet shutdowns, asserting that they constitute a grave violation of fundamental human rights.

According to the Manager of the KeepItOn Campaign, Felicia Anthonio, the CSOs are calling on governments to cease imposing internet shutdowns under any circumstances.

“Internet shutdowns violate fundamental human rights, and governments have the duty to protect these rights. The media needs to re-echo these calls that we are making,” graphic.com.gh quoted Felicia Anthonio to have said.

Highlighting the pretext often used by governments during election periods, she urged them to refrain from using national security as a justification and instead focus on increasing access to the internet to enhance national discourse.

“A lot of governments would shut down the internet during election periods with excuses that it is for national security reasons. But we need them to stop using that as an excuse and rather look at increasing access to improve national discourse,” she added.

The CSOs emphasized that the internet serves as a vital platform for communication, access to information, and expression of opinions, particularly during critical periods such as elections, therefore, any attempt to disrupt internet access infringes upon individuals' rights to freedom of expression and access to information.

Internet shutdowns have increasingly become a common tactic employed by governments around the world to suppress dissent, control information flow, and maintain power.

Some 24 countries have imposed internet shutdowns in the past during their election years, which hindered the full enjoyment of a wide range of fundamental rights and freedoms.

NAY/AE

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