NEW YORK – Deadly attacks on journalists in Gaza and double standards and discrimination against those advocating for Palestinian rights have created a global crisis of freedom of expression, a UN expert said yesterday. Presenting her report to the General Assembly, Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, highlighted the widespread violations of freedom of expression arising from the conflict in Gaza, including the killing of journalists in Gaza, the crushing of protests worldwide against the carnage, the muzzling of Palestinian advocacy and the upsurge of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech online and offline. “No war in recent times has affected freedom of opinion and expression so seriously or so far beyond its borders,” the expert said. “Rarely have we seen such extensive patterns of unlawful, discriminatory and disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression by States and private actors, especially in western democracies,” she said. “When the best universities and cultural institutions in western countries collude with their States to intimidate, isolate and silence dissenting voices on the Palestinian situation, they undermine their own artistic and academic freedoms and diminish the vibrancy of their own democracies,” Khan said. “The targeted killings and arbitrary detention of journalists, destruction of press facilities and equipment in Gaza, the denial of access to independent media, the banning of Al Jazeera appear to indicate a deliberate strategy by Israeli authorities to silence critical reporting and obstruct documentation of possible international crimes,” the expert said. “Why have States that promote themselves as media freedom champions remained silent in the face of such unprecedented attacks on journalists in the occupied Palestinian Territory?” she asked. “The repression of media in Gaza and the West Bank is an attack on the right to information of people around the world who want to know what is happening there,” Khan said. “While Jews, Jewish Israelis and Palestinians have all been targeted by disinformation, misinformation and hate speech on social media, the companies have tended in their content moderation to show a bias against Palestinian expression,” she said. “Online and offline, international standards are being distorted and misinterpreted to equate criticism of Israeli Government policies and Zionism with antisemitism, which is racial and religious hatred of Jews and must be unequivocally condemned,” the expert said. “Israel is a State. Zionism is a political ideology. Under international human rights law on freedom of expression, no State or political ideology can be shielded from criticism.” The Special Rapporteur urged all States, companies and private institutions to refrain from discrimination and uphold freedom of expression equally for all persons, in line with international standards. She called on all States to act on the concrete recommendations in her report. “Freedom of opinion and expression enjoyed on an equal basis by all sides is an invaluable tool for fighting hate, encouraging mutual respect and dialogue, for preserving democracy at home and promoting peace abroad,” Khan said. *Ms. Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. For inquiries and media requests, please contact: hrc-sr-freedex@un.org For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) or John Newland (john.newland@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts