On April 4, 2025, during its 58th session, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution to strengthen the protection of human rights defenders in the face of specific challenges posed by new and emerging technologies.
The resolution, led by Norway, decisively covers new areas and further develops states' obligations to protect human rights defenders in the digital age
The resolution calls on states to abandon the use of mass biometric surveillance and to refrain from or cease using or transferring modern and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence applications and spyware, to those who do not take full responsibility for the use of these technologies in accordance with international human rights law.
Open letter:
The European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights, along with 196 other NGOs, sent an open letter to states urging them to contribute to the resolution.
The letter explained that new and emerging technologies have the potential to enhance, but may also significantly curtail, the exercise by individuals and groups of their fundamental right to defend their rights.
Human rights defenders are increasingly vulnerable to so-called cybercrime when accessing the internet and mobile networks, targeted violence, harassment, misleading, false and harmful information on social media, security vulnerabilities in the form of malware, spyware, and other technical attacks, threats to their communications and identities, including through targeted and mass surveillance, and deceptively and maliciously generated synthetic media.
Furthermore, states and their security services (often with the assistance of non-state actors, including commercial companies) block or censor information shared by human rights defenders on social media and other platforms.
In addition, courts in many jurisdictions allow strategic claims against public engagement, imposing harsh civil and criminal penalties for legitimate online activities such as newsgathering, tweeting, and sharing information for the public good.
The letter argued that the Declaration on the Rights of Human Rights Defenders, adopted in 1998, does not take into account these challenges that have arisen mainly with the rapid development of technologies and the widespread use of smartphones and social media. As part of the activities marking the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, a group of non-governmental organizations launched a consultative initiative to identify key issues faced by human rights defenders that are not sufficiently addressed in the UN Declaration. This work involved human rights defenders, legal and human rights experts, and civil society.
The organizations called on members of the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that the resolution clearly recognizes that the rights of human rights defenders must be protected both in the physical and digital world, acknowledging the increasing threats that new and emerging technologies pose to defenders, as well as the opportunities that these technologies provide for the enjoyment and promotion of human rights in the digital space.
It should also aim to ensure that human rights defenders are able to use the power of ICTs, including technical solutions such as encryption, in the context of their activities without being put at risk. It must reaffirm the right of defenders to access information and use open, secure and affordable ICTs, such as the internet and mobile networks.
It should also aim to ensure that human rights defenders are able to use the power of ICTs, including technical solutions such as encryption, in the context of their activities without being put at risk. It must reaffirm the right of defenders to access information and use open, secure and affordable ICTs, such as the internet and mobile networks.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia is one of the most prominent examples of countries that use modern technology to prosecute and undermine the work of human rights defenders, from digital surveillance and espionage that threaten their freedom and personal safety.
The European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) has monitored several cases that illustrate this approach, with reports confirming Saudi Arabia's use of spyware such as Pegasus to monitor and hack cell phones. UN human rights rapporteurs have also confirmed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's personal involvement in an attempt to hack the phone of Washington Post owner and Amazon CEO Jeffrey Bezos in order to influence or silence Washington Post reports on Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the Saudi government follows human rights defenders on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Human rights defenders have been arrested for tweets or social media posts criticizing the government or calling for reforms. Defenders have faced harsh sentences on charges related to the use of the internet and social media. Both inside and outside Saudi Arabia, human rights defenders have been harassed and threatened online for their activism