Through an open letter, Access Now, Tournons La Page, l’Association Réconciliation, and members of the #KeepItOn coalition are urging authorities in Gabon to ensure unfettered access to the internet throughout the upcoming elections in the country on April 12, 2025.
In 2024, Access Now recorded a spike in the cases of election-related shutdowns despite the passage of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights resolution denouncing the use of shutdowns during elections. Shutting down access to the internet and digital platforms during elections undermines the principles of free, fair, inclusive, and transparent democratic processes. Access Now demands authorities in Gabon to refrain from tampering with access to the internet and digital platforms during the upcoming elections.Felicia Anthonio, #KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now
Election-related shutdowns restrict people’s access to information and active participation in democratic governance, thwart the documentation of irregularities, and impair public trust in electoral processes. Ensuring access to the internet throughout the election process is a key component to ensuring peace, stability, and smooth transitions of government. Gabon already has a concerning history of imposing internet shutdowns and censorship during key national events — especially elections — often coupled with reports of electoral irregularities and human rights abuses.
The internet and social media platforms play a critical role in enabling and enhancing participatory governance and transparency in a democratic society. They provide space for advancing national discourse, and communication, enabling access to critical information about election processes and candidates, facilitating reporting and documentation of events and outcomes, as well as providing an avenue to hold governments accountable for their actions.
The Gabonese government and telecom providers operating in the country have a duty to uphold people’s fundamental rights throughout the upcoming elections and beyond. Authorities must ensure unhindered access to the internet and digital platforms for all, before, during, and after the April 12 elections.Mathieu Pourchier, Executive Director at Tournons La Page
More than 40 organizations call on the Gabonese authorities to commit to taking measures to #KeepItOn, including the following recommendations to ensure unfettered access to the internet on the run-up, during, and post-election across the country:
- Publicly assure people in Gabon that the internet, including social media and other digital communication platforms, will remain open, accessible, and secure across Gabon;
- Order internet service providers to guarantee high-quality, secure, and unrestricted internet access; and
- Direct internet service providers to keep people informed of any potential disruptions, and to take all reasonable steps to fix any identified disruptions likely to impact their quality of service.