The UNPO has submitted a report to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warning of the escalating use of digital technologies as instruments of repression against human rights defenders (HRDs) from unrepresented communities. This submission responds to the OHCHR’s call for inputs following Human Rights Council resolution 58/23 on “Human rights defenders and new and emerging technologies: protecting human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, in the digital age,” which will inform the High Commissioner’s upcoming report to the Human Rights Council.
UNPO’s submission, titled “Protection of Human Rights Defenders in the Digital Age,” examines how states are increasingly deploying digital technologies alongside restrictive legal and regulatory frameworks to criminalise peaceful dissent, restrict civic space, and intimidate HRDs. These practices are particularly harmful for HRDs from nations and peoples lacking representation and self-determination, for whom digital spaces are often essential to carry out advocacy, reach international audiences, and pursue accountability.
Drawing on the experiences of UNPO member communities, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Khmer-Krom, Baloch, Sindhi, communities from Gilgit-Baltistan, and communities in Iran, including Kurds, Baloch, Ahwazi Arabs, and Southern Azerbaijanis, the report documents persistent patterns of surveillance, internet shutdowns, online harassment, and digital transnational repression that undermine the safety and effectiveness of human rights advocacy. These measures frequently target individuals documenting abuses, communicating with diaspora networks, and engaging with international human rights mechanisms, and create a chilling effect that discourages individuals and organisations from exercising their fundamental rights online and offline.
The submission further details how vague and overly broad legislation, including counter-terrorism, cybercrime, and national security laws, is routinely used by state authorities to criminalise online expression and expand control over digital communications. It highlights authorities’ growing reliance on internet shutdowns and connectivity restrictions during protests and periods of political instability, deliberately isolating communities, obstructing the documentation of human rights violations, and restricting engagement with international organisations. The report also documents the rapid expansion of digital surveillance systems, enabling states to intercept communications, monitor online platforms, analyse open-source data, and conduct cyber-attacks. The increasing deployment of biometric and facial recognition technologies has further strengthened the capacity of authorities to identify, track, and intimidate activists both online and offline.
A central concern raised in the submission is the growing role of digital technologies in enabling transnational repression. Surveillance tools, cyber-attacks, and coordinated online intimidation campaigns are increasingly used to monitor and target HRDs beyond national borders. In many cases, authorities also threaten or harass the family members of diaspora activists in their countries of origin as a form of intimidation and retaliation. These practices pose serious risks to the safety of activists in exile and undermine the ability of unrepresented communities to safely engage with international human rights mechanisms and seek protection.
UNPO’s submission calls on the OHCHR and Member States to take decisive action to address digital repression and strengthen protections for human rights defenders. This includes:
- Reviewing and reforming legislation that enables the criminalisation of digital activism;
- Refraining from imposing internet shutdowns and recognising their severe human rights impact;
- Strengthening corporate accountability for the development and export of surveillance technologies;
- Addressing the expanding use of digital tools in transnational repression.
