The United Nations Human Rights Council has stated once again that blocking, disrupting or restricting the internet is against Human Rights. A non-binding resolution passed by majority has condemned actions taken by any Government hampering people connected to the net.
The resolution has been approved by majority rather than universal consensus, since more than 70 countries such as Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, China or Russia voted against. As reported by The Verge, most of them asked for deleting the point nine of the agreement, which reads as follows:
9. Condemns unequivocally all human rights violations and abuses, such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention, expulsion, intimidation and harassment, as well as gender based violence, committed against persons for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms on the Internet, and calls on all
States to ensure accountability in this regard.
UNHRC considers that a open, accessible internet is needed to improve education and development, empower women and close the gender gap. The document affirms that "the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one's choice"
A non-binding resolution has no enforcement power, but may drive local legislation.