President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil is blocking social media followers who criticize him, violating their rights to free speech and access to information, and to participate in the conduct of public affairs, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch identified 176 blocked accounts, the vast majority on Twitter, including journalists, members of Congress, influencers with more than a million followers, and private citizens with just a handful. In addition, we identified blocked accounts of news media and nongovernmental organizations. The total number is most likely higher.
“President Bolsonaro uses social media as a key means of public communication and interaction with the public,” said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. “But he is trying to rid his social media accounts of people and institutions that disagree with him and turn them into spaces where only applause is allowed, part of a broader effort to silence or marginalize critics.”
Blocked people need to log out of their social media accounts to see President Bolsonaros posts, making it harder to get government information. They cannot interact with the posts, such as to repost, respond, like, or comment on them. This prevents blocked people from participating in public debate, violates their free speech rights, and discriminates against them on the basis of their opinions, Human Rights Watch said. Blocked journalists cannot ask questions or request information, infringing on freedom...
Read Full Story: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/19/brazil-bolsonaro-blocks-critics-social-media
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