Thread by @SERAPNigeria

Dear @DrAhmadLawan Nigerians urge you to immediately withdraw the repressive social media bill which @NGRSenate is rushing to pass. We’ll vigorously challenge this illegality nationally and internationally if the Senate ever goes ahead with this regressive bill.
@UN_SPExperts

This bill is a blatant assault on citizens’ right to freedom of expression and is aimed to stop them from holding the Senate and other high-ranking public officials/governmental institutions to account.
@UNHumanRights @UN_SPExperts @davidakaye

The bill, if passed into law would undermine the constitutionally and internationally recognized right to freedom of expression and press freedom on the internet in the country.

We are seriously concerned that this Senate has not learnt from the mistakes of the 8th Senate which introduced but withdrew similar bill. We’re concerned that the Senate under your leadership is pushing to undermine access of citizens to the Internet rather than increasing it.

Freedom of expression entails the ability to both speak and receive information, including through the social media and other generated content services such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and chat applications.

By initiating this bill, the Senate is impermissibly restricting the ability of the citizens to use these tools to communicate, connect, and seek independent sources of information.

The real targets of the bill are social media and ordinary Nigerians that might be critical of government policies or report on corruption involving high ranking government officials.

International law provides that any restriction to rights online must be provided in law, pursuant to a legitimate aim, and limited to only what is necessary and proportionate. The bill falls far short of international requirements of legitimacy, necessity and proportionality.

The bill will also have chilling effect on freedom of expression in the country, as it will create an atmosphere of fear among citizens, bloggers and online activists who may not post critical commentary on Facebook or other social media platforms for fear of being sent to jail.

The Internet cannot enable citizens and others to participate in governance or critique government policy if they cannot freely access information, use social media services, or if they fear being sent to jail simply for expressing their views.

If passed into law the bill would contravene Nigeria’s constitution & international obligations, including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and UN Convention against Corruption which Nigeria has ratified.

While it is important to protect personal integrity in social media, a clean, transparent and accountable government/institution that has nothing to fear will not use this ground as an excuse to undermine the sacred right to freedom of expression.