Reports of internet shutdowns and social media blocking are increasing in Africa and governments are becoming more sophisticated in their approaches. As more courts hand down decisions, this panel at #FIFAfrica21 examine how that jurisprudence can be used to counter this. The panel focuses on challenges and opportunities for litigators when trying to achieve positive judgments in Africa.
The panellists discuss challenging internet shutdowns within domestic courts and regional mechanisms in Africa and outline their experiences of strategic litigation in the context of internet shutdowns and social media blocking. This includes discussing recent applications to ECOWAS challenging the shutdown in Guinea and the Twitter ban in Nigeria.
Speakers
- Mojirayo Ogunlana-Nkanga (Speaker) M.O.N. Legal, a law firm in Nigeria, Legal Practitioner and the Principal Counsel
- Pádraig Hughes (Speaker) Media Defence, Legal Director
- Ikechukwu Uzoma (Speaker) Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Africa Staff Attorney
- Wanyama Edrine (Speaker) CIPESA