Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024: when digital rights collide with digital oppression

Saudi Arabia has a longstanding record of human rights violations, and in recent years, its digital authoritarianism has escalated to unprecedented and dangerous levels, including repression of free speech, persecution of human rights defenders, and severe restrictions on access to information. While the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2024 aims to promote multi-stakeholder and critical discussions on digital rights and the future of the internet, the decision to host the forum in a country with such egregious human rights violations and no civic space has raised grave concerns among civil society and activists about their ability to safely and meaningfully participate in the IGF discussions, with calls for a change of the host country and some organizations opting to boycott the event.

While the Saudi authorities weaponize international fora such as the IGF to promote a facade of tolerance and progress and to white-wash their abuses, it is more critical than shed light on the country’s rising digital repression. In response, this event will bring together Saudi activists, human rights organizations, and digital rights advocates to examine the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. It will highlight the ethical concerns surrounding IGF 2024 and amplify the voices calling for the protection of human rights in digital spaces, particularly in countries with a history of abuses.

Objectives

• Raise awareness about the human rights crisis in Saudi Arabia, with a particular focus on digital repression including the escalating crackdown on freedom of expression online, surveillance and the use of spyware to target activists and dissidents, and the persecution and arbitrary detention of activists and journalists.
• Examine the ethical implications of hosting the IGF in Saudi Arabia and discuss the paths forward to an inclusive IGF where civil society members can safely and meaningfully participate in important discussions about the future of the internet
• Amplify the voices of Saudi activists and human rights defenders directly impacted by the regime’s policies.
• Mobilize international solidarity and explore how the global community can advocate for greater accountability for Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations, especially as IGF 2024 approaches.
• Defining short-term and long-term plans for actions taken up by all stakeholders to bring about a peaceful change in the Kingdom.
  

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Speakers

• Yahya Assiri – Saudi Arabian human rights activist (ALQST)
• Michael Page – Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division (HRW)
• Dr. Hala Al-Dosari – Saudi human rights activist, scholar, and writer
• Areej Al-Sadhan – Saudi human rights activist sister of political detainee Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan.
  

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Moderator: Marwa Fatafta, MENA Policy and Advocacy Director