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Ramallah, 23 October 2019 – UNESCO National Office for Palestine, in cooperation with 7amleh - the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media - organized a one-day discussion titled “One year after applying the Cybercrime Law: Challenges and Opportunities”. The discussion provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the Cybercrime Law and its impact on the work of journalists, activists and media outlets. It also enabled the exchange of regional and international perspectives on guaranteeing freedom of expression online, in line with international covenants and agreements and with reference to UNESCO’s ROAM principles, which call for the evolution of Internet to be underpinned by four principles, namely Rights-based, Openness, Accessibility to all, and Multi-stakeholder participation.

Junaid Sorosh-Wali, Officer-in-Charge, Head UNESCO National Office for Palestine, stated in his opening remarks: How to tackle the challenges of online terrorism, money laundering, and illegal online content, without putting human rights such as freedom of expression at risk, is the delicate balancing act that today’s discussions will cover. He emphasized that ensuring the right to unhindered speech online and the free flow of information, while protecting Internet users from the real threats they face, should be at the heart of any attempt to combat online cybercrime.

7amleh board member Reem Amer highlighted the importance of digital rights as an extension of human rights, including the right to privacy, accessibility of the Internet, freedom of information and freedom of expression.

At the first session, the Head of the Cybercrime Unit at the Public Prosecutor’s Office together with media representatives, legal experts and human rights defenders, discussed the limitations imposed by the law on journalists and youth. Particular concern was raised about how the law risks increasing self-censorship among Palestinians. At the same time, participants expressed different points of view about the importance of the law in combating cybercrimes in Palestine, including child abuse, hate speech, fraud, and harassment, which disproportionately targets women.

The second session focused on cybercrime laws in Arab states. Among the challenges highlighted was the fact that many of the cybercrime laws in the Arab region are passed without sufficient multi-stakeholder consultation. The risk of misuse of these laws to impose undue restrictions on freedom of expression was also noted.

Participants formulated a set of recommendations, including the re-opening of discussions between legislators, civil society organizations and legal experts on how to bring the legislation further in line with international standards and prevent the misuse of the law to silence the media and activists in Palestine.

The activity is part of Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalist implemented by UNESCO in Palestine, funded by the Government of Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

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For more information on this event, please contact: Hala Tannous, Communication and Information Focal Point of the UNESCO Ramallah Office, at h.tannous@unesco.org