Response from Stephan Bates re: Iran and Facebook censorship
From: <mp@stephenbates.com.au>
Date: Thu, Dec 22, 2022 at 1:14 PM
Subject: Re: Censorship of Iran Protests by Facebook/Meta (Case Ref: SB1777)
Dear Wahid
Thank you for getting in touch and advocating for the rights of women
and protestors, and for your solidarity with the people
of Iran. The Iranian authority's suppression of the rights of women,
LGBTIQA+ people, and other minorities, including the Bahai, must end.
People should not have to protest to protect their basic human rights.
The Australian Greens are calling upon the international community to
strongly condemn the ongoing abuses of freedom and human rights. The
Australian Government must clearly express to the Iranian regime that
they, and countries like them, will face consequences from the
international community for allowing violence against women and
minorities within their borders. We are calling for the Australian
Government to:
- Impose Magnitsky-style or other forms of targeted sanctions, including financial asset freezing and introducing visa bans on people linked to the Iranian regime (including the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), key security officials, Basiji Militia and the morality police);
- Declare the IRCG a ‘terrorist organisation’ under the Criminal Code Act 1995;
- Pass, sponsor and support a strong resolution against the criminal actions of the Islamic Republic both in the Australian Parliament and at the UN General Assembly and encourage counterparts in allied countries to take similar steps;
- Take steps to remove Iran from the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
- Support Iranians’ access to the Internet and social media networks as well as the Iranian Civil Society in all possible manner.
- Request the release of all arrested protesters.
- Call on the Iranian government to respect the basic human rights of Iranian women’s choice of clothing.
- Meet with the Iranian ambassador as soon as possible to raise these concerns directly.
I was heartened to join the protest on the lawns of Parliament in solidarity with the uprising in Iran against the Islamic Republic Regime. It was a powerful display of strength to call on the Australian Government to step up and demand the freedoms that have been denied to the Iranian people. The Iranian authorities’ suppression of human rights must end – nobody should be forced to fight for these most basic freedoms.
On the subject of Facebook corporation and its censorship, the Greens are strong advocates for a healthy and diverse media landscape. Mark Zuckerberg is a billionaire censoring what news and information Australians can receive. Not only is he surpressing the situation in Iran, but he has also made other utterly reckless decisions like to block access to health and emergency services pages during a global pandemic.
Facebook constantly makes excuses for why it allows fake news to be spread on their platform yet blocks real news. The platform profits off the spread of hate speech, dangerous conspiracy theories and fake news and has now restricted any possibility of balancing that with the truth. They have become far too big, reinforcing the need to regulate this corporate bully.
Facebook’s actions are a threat to our democracy. No company should have the power to reduce Australians access to information. The Greens would:
- End monopolies and ensure diverse ownership
- Properly fund an independent ABC and SBS, and ensure the survival of the independent newswire
- Make big news and tech corporations pay their share of tax to fund public broadcasters and public interest journalism
- Address the power imbalance between big tech companies, journalists, and news media organisations
- Protect people’s privacy and data rights from big news and tech corporations
Thank you again for contacting us about the ongoing situation in Iran.
Stephen.
Stephen Bates MP
Federal Member for Brisbane
Australian Greens Portfolio Holder for Youth and LGBTQIA+
Electorate: 349 Sandgate Road, Albion QLD 4010 P (07) 3862 4044
Parliament: Suite R290 P (02) 6277 2168
I acknowledge the Traditional
We live and work on stolen land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
