Recalling the guarantee of the right of freedom of opinion and expression, regardless of the methods of communication, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with its guarantee of the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers,
Recalling the proposed 2008 Directive of the European Parliament and the Council concerning the EU Global Online Freedom Act, in particular its finding that authoritarian states such as Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam censor the internet by blocking websites and filtering search results and intimidate users of the Internet through cyber police and obliged registration,
Recognizing that the Internet is a universal space for communication and expression of opinions and ideas,
Believing that the Internet, being without political frontiers, can promote freedom and mutual understanding among all people, regardless of race, religion, geography or economic status,
Alarmed that the freedom of the Internet is under assault in many regions of the world,
Believing that the freedom of the Internet is essential to the full enjoyment of human rights, civil liberties and a free and democratic society,
Acknowledging that the restriction of freedom of the Internet and other digital communication is equivalent to the restriction of freedom of opinion and expression with other methods of communication and creates an environment of repression,
Affirming that suppression of independent thought by filtering, monitoring and censoring of websites, online content, blogs and messaging services constitutes a violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Stressing that all countries therefore have the obligation to guarantee freedom of the Internet,
Be it therefore resolved that Liberal International calls on all its members to be involved in promoting and protecting the freedom of the Internet worldwide, to encourage their respective governments not to export technologies that can be used for suppression or censorship around or on the Internet, and that Internet companies be held accountable for complicity with or liability for violations to this freedom.
Be it also resolved that Liberal International calls upon governments to provide support mechanisms and tools for human rights and democracy activists in authoritarian countries that offers them safe and unanimous access to the Internet, for example by allowing such access at embassies and consulates within the respective authoritarian countries.
