Freedom of the Internet – 40 countriessupport SwedenOn Friday, 10 June, Sweden will address the UN HumanRights Council (UNHRC). The topic of the address is thathuman rights must be respected online in the same way asthey are offline. The group of countries supporting theaddress are representative of all different parts of the world.Press release10 June 2011Ministry for Foreign AffairsThis is the first time that such an extensive initiative on human rights and theInternet is taken up in the Council. Sweden has led the work on pursuing,negotiating and gathering support for this address. The address will be given bySweden’s Ambassador to the UN, Jan Knutsson.Influential countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa and the UnitedStates have chosen to support the address, which sends an important signalthat freedom of expression and human rights on the Internet is an issue thatconcerns people all over the world. It is of particular interest to note that bothPalestine and Israel have given their support, which is an important signal initself.The report that the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Frank LaRue, presented to the Council on 3 June forms the basis of the address. Thisreport is based on global expert consultations, including two internationalexpert meetings in Stockholm (June 2010 and March 2011). At present, a largenumber of states – currently 40 – are preparing comments on the report andhave expressed support for many of its principles.For Sweden, one principle is particularly fundamental: the same rights thatpeople have in general – such as freedom of expression, including the freedomto search for information, freedom of assembly and freedom of association -must also be protected on the Internet.Other important parts of the address are the general rule that individuals mustbe able to express themselves anonymously on the Internet, and that decisionsconcerning the administration of the Internet must be taken in forums thatinclude representatives of all interest groups, i.e. not only states but also civilsociety, academics, the business world, etc.Freedom of the Internet – 40 countries support Swedenhttps://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/14924/a/1705471 of 27/3/13 9:53 AM

The address in its entirety will be published on www.ud.se when it is held.The Human Rights Council session opens on Friday 10 June at 12.00 and willbe webcast at: https://www.un.org/webcast/unhrc/ContactSpecial Adviser Johan Hallenborg+46 76 277 32 84Press Service, Ministry for Foreign Affairs+46 8 405 57 30External linksUN Live webcastFreedom of the Internet – 40 countries support Swedenhttps://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/14924/a/1705472 of 27/3/13 9:53 AM