Cutting the Internet Is Cutting Human Rights”
The Afghan Women’s Justice Movement, representing the voices of millions of Afghan women, girls, students, teachers, human rights defenders, and freedom-seeking citizens, strongly condemns the recent decision by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to impose widespread internet shutdowns and restrict access to telecommunications and digital platforms. This measure is not merely a technical or security-related act—it constitutes a systematic and deliberate violation of international human rights obligations.
Why This Action Is Illegal Under International Law
1. Violation of the Right to Access Information
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantee everyone the right “to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Internet shutdowns constitute a mass, arbitrary restriction of this fundamental right.
2. Gender-Based Discrimination
These restrictions disproportionately impact women—whose only remaining access to education, remote work, support networks, and public discourse often lies in digital spaces. This constitutes a clear breach of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), particularly Article 10 (education) and Article 15 (equality before the law).
3. Suppression of Peaceful Assembly and Expression
Digital access is now an inseparable component of the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The United Nations Human Rights Council affirmed in Resolution 32/13 (2016): “States shall not intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online.” Internet shutdowns directly contravene this binding international standard.
Why This Policy Is Dangerous
This measure is part of a broader, systematic strategy to erase women from public life—both physical and digital. By severing access to education, communication, and civic participation, Afghan women are being isolated not only from their own society but from the global community. This is not a “security measure”—it is a political strategy to force Afghanistan back into a gendered dark age.
Our Demands to the International Community
We, the Afghan Women’s Justice-Seeking Movement, call upon:
- The UN Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to urgently investigate and condemn this widespread rights violation.
- UN Member States, especially permanent members of the Security Council, to explicitly address these digital restrictions in diplomatic engagements and human rights assessments.
- International telecommunications and technology bodies (including ITU, ICANN, and service providers) to leverage technical and ethical influence to safeguard universal internet access in Afghanistan.
- Global media, digital rights advocates, and feminist movements to amplify our voices—because when the internet is silenced in Afghanistan, your voice becomes our lifeline.
We Will Not Be Silenced—Even in Darkness
We know:
Every time a network goes dark,
a girl loses her future.
Every time a message fails to send,
a cry for justice dies in silence.
But we, the women of Afghanistan,
resist—in every space, online and offline.
We are light that cannot be switched off.
Justice is everyone’s right.
Freedom has space for all.
And today, the internet is inseparable from both.
Afghan Women’s Justice Movement
Standing with women worldwide for justice, freedom, and equality
-#LetAfghanWomenOnline | #InternetIsARight | #JusticeForAfghanWomen
Cutting the Internet Is Cutting Human Rights”
The Afghan Women’s Justice Movement, representing the voices of millions of Afghan women, girls, students, teachers, human rights defenders, and freedom-seeking citizens, strongly condemns the recent decision by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to impose widespread internet shutdowns and restrict access to telecommunications and digital platforms. This measure is not merely a technical or security-related act—it constitutes a systematic and deliberate violation of international human rights obligations.
Why This Action Is Illegal Under International Law
1. Violation of the Right to Access Information
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantee everyone the right “to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Internet shutdowns constitute a mass, arbitrary restriction of this fundamental right.
2. Gender-Based Discrimination
These restrictions disproportionately impact women—whose only remaining access to education, remote work, support networks, and public discourse often lies in digital spaces. This constitutes a clear breach of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), particularly Article 10 (education) and Article 15 (equality before the law).
3. Suppression of Peaceful Assembly and Expression
Digital access is now an inseparable component of the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The United Nations Human Rights Council affirmed in Resolution 32/13 (2016): “States shall not intentionally prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online.” Internet shutdowns directly contravene this binding international standard.
Why This Policy Is Dangerous
This measure is part of a broader, systematic strategy to erase women from public life—both physical and digital. By severing access to education, communication, and civic participation, Afghan women are being isolated not only from their own society but from the global community. This is not a “security measure”—it is a political strategy to force Afghanistan back into a gendered dark age.
Our Demands to the International Community
We, the Afghan Women’s Justice-Seeking Movement, call upon:
- The UN Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to urgently investigate and condemn this widespread rights violation.
- UN Member States, especially permanent members of the Security Council, to explicitly address these digital restrictions in diplomatic engagements and human rights assessments.
- International telecommunications and technology bodies (including ITU, ICANN, and service providers) to leverage technical and ethical influence to safeguard universal internet access in Afghanistan.
- Global media, digital rights advocates, and feminist movements to amplify our voices—because when the internet is silenced in Afghanistan, your voice becomes our lifeline.
We Will Not Be Silenced—Even in Darkness
We know:
Every time a network goes dark,
a girl loses her future.
Every time a message fails to send,
a cry for justice dies in silence.
But we, the women of Afghanistan,
resist—in every space, online and offline.
We are light that cannot be switched off.
Justice is everyone’s right.
Freedom has space for all.
And today, the internet is inseparable from both.
Afghan Women’s Justice Movement
Standing with women worldwide for justice, freedom, and equality
-#LetAfghanWomenOnline | #InternetIsARight | #JusticeForAfghanWomen
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