ASEAN Regional Coalition to #StopDigitalDictatorship T his report is the outcome of the collaborative Asia, a regional federation of more than 204 member work of the ASEAN Regional Coalition to organisations, works for the equality of all people #StopDigitalDictatorship (“the Coalition”). regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and After its establishment in 2020, with the coordination sex characteristic, as well as liberation from all forms of Manushya Foundation, virtual discussions were of discrimination and stigmatisation. Women’s Peace initiated to discuss challenges faced, while determining Network has “equality” as one of its core visions and collaborative and inclusive efforts to assess, amend, works to protect the rights and increase the inclusion and monitor implementation of legislations affecting of marginalised women, youth, and communities in the digital rights. The Coalition has established itself as Rakhine state and across Myanmar. The Foundation a leading regional expert voice on digital rights in the for Media Alternatives focuses on the intersection region and is now a key player, powering local and between information and communication technology regional voices to speak their truth to power and to (ICT) and gender rights, including tech-related gender- resist digital dictatorship. based violence. A core group of members of the Coalition has collectively We also recognise that gender inequality intersects with developed the research and analysis framework of a regional ASEAN Study, which is divided into three thematic reports. This report is part of the series of three thematic reports and focuses on the right to other forms of oppression, such as race, class, sexuality, and disability, and women exposed to intersecting forms of discrimination are particularly vulnerable to violence in the digital world. Understanding the freedom of speech and expression in the digital space. intricate ways in which power operates, we apply an The aim of this report goes far beyond merely analysing multifaceted dynamics within the digital realm. With the legal framework related to freedom of expression this report, we shed light on this and the patriarchal online and documenting rights violations in the nine power dynamics that hold our world back from fulfilling Southeast Asian countries covered. The main goal is a society where everyone is treated with fairness and to increase public understanding of how important dignity. However, that is not where our work ends. The digital rights are to everyone’s lives and to strengthen ultimate objective is to call, as a strong and unified voice, netizens’ knowledge of those rights. But there is more on governments, policy-makers, and tech companies to to consider. As intersectional feminists, we recognise move the needle forward from commitments on paper the internet is not equal for everyone. While the digital to concrete measures to respect their international realm offers immense opportunities, it is far from being human rights obligations–in order to restore our only neutral or egalitarian, and it remains susceptible to democracy. Recommendations are also extended to persistent backlash against the rights of women and civil society, which provides a critical foundation for LGBTIQA+ people. Like other social spaces, it reflects holding governments and businesses accountable, and and reproduces power relations and inequalities, promoting human rights and democracy. including those related to gender. intersectional feminist lens to explore and tackle the Following Chapter II: Methodology, which will clarify Coalition members dedicate their work to make Asia our research and compilation process, Chapter III: a safe and peaceful place for all. While they have Summary of International Human Rights Laws and different goals and perspectives, the cultivation of an Standards will provide important context for the rest of open, safe, and inclusive digital space for all is a key the report with a table addressing the right to freedom priority for them. At Manushya Foundation, we place of expression; the rights of human rights defenders; “equality” at the core of our activities, apply a gender the right to privacy; and the right to effective remedy, lens to all of our work, and focus on powering women and indicates the ratification status by country of each activists and human rights defenders, youth, and convention, where appropriate. Following, Chapter IV: LGBTIQA+ individuals to tell their very own stories in Country Overviews (Analysis) is split into nine sections, a powerful manner for their advocacy. Likewise, ILGA each one focused on a specific country: Cambodia, 30 Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia