#KeepItOn: authorities in Mozambique must stop normalizing internet shutdowns during protests

We, the undersigned organizations, and members of the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of over 334 human rights organizations from 105 countries working to end internet shutdowns — urgently demand that the government of Mozambique put an immediate end to the increasing use of shutdowns amid ongoing protests and police crackdown on protesters in Mozambique. Reports from local rights groups indicate that police have resorted to excessive use of violence resulting in more than 20 deaths and multiple injuries.  

Since October 25, 2024, in response to growing protests against disputed election results announced by the Election Commission, authorities in Mozambique have imposed at least five instances of curfew style mobile internet shutdowns with the most recent happening on November 6, alongside social media shutdowns lasting several hours. The recent shutdowns in the country follow a worrying trend that authorities in Mozambique began in October 2023, when they imposed a total internet blackout for at least three hours for the first time during local elections. Mozambican authorities’ regular practice of shutting down the internet around elections and in times of political unrest must not be allowed to continue. 

Internet shutdowns are a violation of human rights. The Mozambican constitution in Article 48 guarantees the freedom of expression and access to information as fundamental human rights. The constitution of Mozambique goes further to guarantee the freedom and independence of the media. International instruments to which Mozambique is a party such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) also expressly make provisions for these rights. International instruments have further pronounced themselves on the importance of full and fair internet access and even more specifically issued guidance to member states on internet shutdowns. 

Election-related shutdowns prevent voters, journalists, opposition, and election observers from accessing or sharing essential information, decreasing the fairness, credibility, and transparency of elections. They empower authoritarian regimes to control the narrative throughout the electoral period, undermining the electorate’s ability to make informed decisions, access polling resources, and fully shape their nation’s future. Now more than ever, when there is unrest due to contested election results, the government must ensure people have unfettered access to open and secure internet and digital platforms to promote transparency and access pertinent information in a timely manner.

In response to growing instances of shutdowns in the region in connection with elections, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) in March 2024 adopted resolution 580 of 2024, which recognizes the importance of internet connectivity to the realization of free, fair, and credible election, as a tenet of democracy. The resolution noted 21 countries in which elections would be taking place in the region in 2024, among them Mozambique, and recognized the increased use of the internet and social media platforms for the dissemination of information to voters, election observers, election management bodies, and other stakeholders during elections. The resolution urged state parties among other things to ensure open and secure internet access before, during, and after elections, “… including ensuring that telecommunications and internet service providers take adequate steps to provide unrestricted and uninterrupted access…” and specifically called on member states from implementing internet shutdowns before, during and after elections.

Moreover, imposing shutdowns during protests violates people’s fundamental rights to assembly. Clement N. Voule, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, highlighted in his report the crucial role of digital technologies in expanding opportunities for the enjoyment and exercise of peaceful assembly and association rights and also raised concerns about the use of these technologies by state and non-state actors “to silence, surveil and harass dissidents, political opposition, human rights defenders, activists, and protesters.” The report also emphasized that “access to Internet and mobile telephony services should be maintained at all times, including during times of civil unrest. Access to and use of digital technologies during elections for assembly and association purposes should be specially respected, protected, and promoted.” The report called on States to “refrain from, and cease, measures such as cutting off access to the Internet and telecommunications services,” as well as “repealing and amending any laws and policies that allow network disruptions and shutdowns and refraining from adopting such laws and policies.”

Restricting access to the internet, mobile devices, and communication platforms during periods of unrest such as conflicts and protests, and moments of national importance such as elections, further puts people at risk and undermines the enjoyment of all other human rights, from education and work to healthcare and public services, as well as free expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed under Article 51 of the Constitution of Mozambique. In times of crisis, people rely on the internet to stay connected to their loved ones and to access vital, timely, and potentially life-saving information, as well as emergency services. 

Telecommunication companies have a duty to uphold human rights and undertake proactive steps to mitigate rights-violating practices such as internet shutdowns. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide guidelines on how companies can promote human rights due to their unique position between authorities and the end user. The principles make specific recommendations including performing due diligence when entering new markets and implementing transparency measures around government directives.  We call on telecommunications companies and internet service providers (ISPs) operating in Mozambique — including  Vodacom, Movitel, Mcel, and all other ISPs operating in Mozambique — to refrain from enforcing the shutdown orders received from the authorities and undertake urgent measures to provide the people of Mozambique with open, and secure access to the internet and digital communication tools at all times. 

Access Now and members of the #KeepItOn coalition call on the government of Mozambique, as well as relevant actors, and urge the following:

• The Mozambican government must immediately end the ongoing shutdowns and refrain from imposing any future disruptions to connectivity in Mozambique to quell protests.
• Authorities must investigate human rights abuses to ensure accountability and desist from deploying unlawful force against protestors exercising their constitutional rights.
• We urge telecommunication companies, including Movitel, Vodacom, and Mcel to stop enforcing shutdown orders, push back against illegal government directives, and uphold their duty to respect people’s rights in Mozambique.
• We urge telecommunication companies to disclose and publish all shutdown orders from authorities to foster transparency and accountability.
• We call on the African Union to unequivocally condemn the ongoing attacks on freedom of assembly and the growing use of internet shutdowns by member states, especially in times of elections, protests, and political unrest.

Signatories