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U.N. Slams Nauru for Facebook Ban, Stifling Dissent

The United Nations on Monday criticized the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru for blocking access to the Internet, including Facebook, and urged it to reverse a clampdown on freedom of speech.

Nauru curbed Internet access in the nation of 10,000 people last month, saying it was barring pornography, although social media sites such as Facebook were caught in the dragnet.

Leaders on the island, which is home to an Australian-run asylum-seeker detention camp, then introduced laws that critics say could result in political protesters facing seven-year jail terms.

The UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, said the changes were too broad and should be repealed.

In a statement issued Monday, he said Nauru should allow freedom of expression without fear of prosecution.

"These new laws could be used to muzzle dissenting opinions and deter human rights defenders, academics, journalists, students, politicians and civil society members," he said.

Facebook is a major forum for dissenting opinions on Nauru and Kaye expressed concern the Internet clampdown was "designed to prevent asylum-seekers and refugees in the country from hearing information on their situation".

His comments come after the US State Department earlier this month called on Nauru to ease the Internet restrictions, saying freedom expression was essential to a healthy democracy.

"We’ve certainly conveyed our views to the government there and reiterate our call for these restrictions to be lifted," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told a media briefing in Washington on May 14.

Since 2013 Australia has sent all asylum-seekers arriving by boat into detention on Nauru and Papua New Guinea, and denied them resettlement in Australia despite an outcry from rights groups.

Official Australian data shows the detention center has been an economic boon for aid-dependent Nauru, employing about 650 locals as Canberra spends some Aus$470 million ($370 million) annually to operate the facility.

The Nauru government's information office did not response to requests for comment. 

In a statement this month, President Baron Waqa said Nauru was a sovereign country and insisted "criticism from self-appointed human rights activists overseas is nothing more than an attempt to bully a small Pacific nation".

He denied the Internet restriction was linked to the asylum seeker camp, saying it was impose so "Nauruans are not left exposed and vulnerable to the actions of criminals, sexual perverts and cyber bullies".

Source: Agence France Presse


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