The battle to control the Internet rages on as some countries push to have Internet governance fall under the United Nations (UN). Countries like Russia, China and India are at the forefront to have the UN granted the mandate to run the Internet. The United States of America is currently enjoying the dominance in running the Internet space through bodies like ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) which co-ordinates codes and numbering systems and deciding on new Internet addresses. The US feels the current Internet regulations are working effectively and any proposals for change will create  “greater regulatory burdens on the international telecom sector”.

UN Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/20/L.13, July 5, 2012)  “affirms the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one’s choice, in accordance with articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. “

Most governments and private companies are increasingly violating this resolution by perpetrating human rights violations online, either through content censoring, intimidation, denying access to information and selling individual’s private data. The reason why the Internet grew so fast is based on the fact that the libertarian engineers who created it thought governments were not going to control it. Currently Africa has an Internet penetration rate of 57 percent and it is predicted that by the year 2020 every African will have a mobile phone.

The recent Arab spring really caught most governments off guard in terms of realizing the power of Internet. As technology moves fast authoritarian governments are now investing a lot in trying to control the Internet rather than making the service available to every citizen. Governments are now using all methods of censorship in trying to limit freedom of expression on the Internet. The recent story of an Ethiopian blogger who was sentenced to 18 years in prison is just one example of how governments are working to suppress independent voices. The rise in Internet censorship calls for urgent action to broaden the constituencies involved in the promotion of human rights including media, communication, and human rights actors.

Civil society has a role to play through engaging governments to ensure that the same rights that people have offline are also protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is being constantly violated. Liberalized telecommunications markets also play an important role through the provision of affordable Internet to people. Competition, independent ownership of infrastructure and liberalized telecommunications markets should be promoted to ensure an open, affordable and net neutrality.

Members of civil society, donor agencies and government representatives from various countries converged in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss ways to make the Internet free under the discussion topic “Who Controls the Internet.” Civil society representatives were mainly from African countries and the Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe was part of the workshop. Global Partners and Associates organized the workshop with support from the Kenya Human Rights Commission, Ford Foundation and Association for Progressive Communication (APC).

Internet as a tool to democratize free speech has come under attack and surveillance especially from authoritarian governments. The race to control the Internet by governments under the disguise of protecting public interest and national security has made civil society realize the need to shape the Internet environment nationally, regionally and globally.

In order to shape the Internet environment delegates at the workshop shared ideas on how to engage governments in policy formulation, which addresses human rights online. The need to sensitize Parliaments was also seen as an effective in making policy makers aware of the changing and demanding environment of the Internet thereby helping them when crafting Internet friendly policies.

The launching of the Freedom Online Coalition in December last year was seen as positive step towards the direction of protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms online. The Netherlands government representative at the workshop explained briefly about how the Freedom Online Coalition works by highlighting that the Coalition is made up of 17 countries across the world committed to promoting Internet freedom. At the launch last year the Coalition also pledged to provide greater support for cyber activists and bloggers under threat. As part of this effort, the United States and the Netherlands committed funds to a new Digital Defenders partnership. Currently the Netherlands government is working in Kenya on a program to make Internet free in that country.

Civil society representatives collaborated on a shared statement covering issues discussed in the three-day workshop covering effective strategies to use across the continent and what other stakeholders can do in the shaping of the Internet environment.

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Global Voices seeks an Advocacy Director to run its online freedom of expression initiatives. Global Voices Advocacy seeks to build a global anti-censorship network of citizen media and online activists throughout the developing world that is dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and free access to information online.

The goal of the network is to raise awareness of online freedom of speech issues, and to share tools and tactics with activists and citizen media facing censorship and surveillance on different parts of the globe. The network provides support to both the Global Voices advocacy community and to others, produces and promotes educational guides about information technology advocacy, privacy and anonymity, anti-censorship and and anti- surveillance campaigning, and strategies for online organizing. In collaboration with software developers, activists, and citizen media producers, the network also aims to design and promote new and more appropriate tools to protect our rights on the Internet. Finally, the Global Voices Advocacy community focuses on building and supporting the rights of netizens around the world.

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As a young man, Alexander Cockburn, who has died from cancer at the age of 71, had something of the air of the classic Bollinger Bolshevik: elegant, with his blue shades and his Gauloises cigarettes, well-connected and perversely radical politically. In reality he was more interesting and more admirable, a contrarian who despised cant. He had the courage to take on anything and anyone, from the most powerful organisations in the world to his closest friends, and the energy and persistence to follow his own path wherever it took him.

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As election fever gathers momentum in Zimbabwe some sections of the population are quickly drawn back to memories of 2008 election thuggery.  Violence, which broke out in the 2008 during the presidential elections, left many families displaced and communities turning on each other. The most affected people were those who showed political allegiance to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Violence, destruction of property as well as the displacement of people unleashed under Operation Mavhoterapapi (how did you vote) left many people vulnerable and living in fear of victimization from local leadership especially in the rural communities. Local leadership in rural communities played a major role in coercing people to vote for ZANU PF in 2008 election or they risked losing their land.

Since the 2008 civil society has been working with local communities to come up with initiatives that promote reconciliation and national healing in areas where victims of political violence are still seeking redress and trying to overcome the horrendous acts. In an effort to use art as a tool in the engagement of communities in promoting human rights a local civic organization, Artists for Democracy in Zimbabwe Trust (ADZT), has been working in rural Zimbabwe to get peoples views on elections.

At a function graced by the Deputy Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Senator Obert Gutu, Artists for Democracy in Zimbabwe Trust launched the Cries for Justice documentary. The documentary which is a reflection of the people of Zimbabwe’s quest for justice is based on narration from victims of the 2008 election violence and is part of ADZT’s work in the area of human rights.

In her speech, ADZT board member, Mrs Gladys Hlatshwayo reiterated that the documentary alone cannot change Zimbabwe’s situation but can contribute to making Zimbabwe a better place to live in.

Speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister Obert Gutu highlighted that art has been used in Zimbabwe to criticize the government and speak on behalf of the voiceless and many artists have been blacklisted whilst others have gone into exile. Commenting on the progress of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill, the Minister told the gathering that the Bill would help to empower the Human Rights Commission to look at all transitional justice issues in Zimbabwe.