United Nations officials have acknowledged that a recording of a panel discussion featuring human rights organisations at a conference in Riyadh was edited following a complaint from the Saudi government.
The UN’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was accused by Human Rights Watch on Thursday of censoring critical comments made by Saudi Arabian activist Lina al-Hathloul during the event at IGF’s conference in the Saudi capital in December.
Asked whether the IGF had been prompted to act by Saudi Arabia, an IGF spokesperson told Middle East Eye it had “received a request from the host nation” regarding an alleged violation of its code of conduct.
The spokesperson said it was standard procedure that the host “may raise concerns about adherence to rules agreed upon by all participants”.
“The Secretariat’s role in such cases is to review the concerns in an impartial manner, engage with the concerned party, and seek a solution that adheres to the IGF’s commitment to multistakeholder dialogue.”
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The involvement of Human Rights Watch and Alqst – a UK-based organisation that campaigns for human rights in Saudi Arabia – in the IGF’s conference in Riyadh was considered significant because of the kingdom’s repressive track record.
Hathloul, Alqst’s head of advocacy, spoke remotely at the panel event co-hosted by HRW and Alqst because of concerns for her safety.
But last month, the IGF published an edited version of the panel on YouTube in which significant portions of Hathloul’s comments as well as a moment of silence for human rights defenders punished for expressing themselves online, including several held in Saudi Arabia’s prisons, were removed.
In their place was a note saying they had been removed for violating the IGF’s code of conduct, particularly a section in which participants are asked to focus remarks on issues rather than on “individuals, groups, organisations or governments, and to refrain from personal or ad hominem attacks”.
HRW also said that UN officials told Joey Shea, the organisation’s Saudi Arabia researcher who moderated the panel, that the Saudi government had complained and asked the UN to revoke her accreditation for the conference.
The officials referred to an HRW video that cited the case of imprisoned retired Saudi Arabian teacher Mohammed al-Ghamdi “as the basis of the host country’s complaint”, and also said that Shea’s naming of specific human rights defenders during the panel might have constituted a code of conduct violation.
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The UN officials told Shea they would discuss whether to revoke her accreditation badge with UN headquarters in New York, HRW said. Her badge was ultimately not revoked.
HRW has said that Shea’s mention of specific detained human rights activists did not comprise a “personal or ad hominem attack” and that she did not mention which governments had imprisoned the activists.
The UN IGF noted on Friday that it had “responded to an infringement” of its code of conduct by speaking with the civil society organisation representative concerned “and arriving at a mutually agreed solution”.
“No retaliation in any form occurred. The secretariat’s actions were taken to uphold the spirit of the rules, which is to foster democratic, multistakeholder discussions,” a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said that the IGF remained “dedicated to creating a forum where diverse perspectives, including those of civil society organisations, are respected and heard”.
“The presence and active participation of human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who were likely present in a major meeting setting in Saudi Arabia for the first time, reflect the IGF’s broad commitment to these values.”
