The United Nations removed criticism of the Saudi government from the official transcript of a key UN conference held in Riyadh in December and threatened to eject a Saudi researcher from the event, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW described the incident at the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF) as “the latest example” of a repressive government hosting a major UN conference in which civil society representatives were censored and intimidated.

Deborah Brown, HRW’s deputy technology, rights, and investigations director, stated: “The UN and its member states should put an end to a climate of intimidation and censorship toward diplomats, journalists, human rights advocates, and other civil society representatives at UN conferences.” She added: “Restricting participants’ ability to speak freely about internet policy issues, including issues relevant in the host country, undermines the IGF’s purpose.” The UN IGF has not issued a response regarding these claims.

In December, HRW and UK-based human rights group Alqst co-hosted a panel discussion at the event focusing on the UN’s new cybercrime treaty and its potential impact on transnational repression. Among the speakers was Saudi activist Lina al-Hathloul, Alqst’s head of advocacy, who spoke remotely due to safety concerns. During her remarks, Hathloul described Saudi Arabia as “a cautionary tale” of how the cybercrime treaty could be used by governments that already exploit cybercrime laws to suppress dissent. She also referenced a Saudi state security watchlist, “Watch Upon Return,” which allegedly tracks Saudis abroad and targets them upon their return. A moment of silence was held during the panel for human rights defenders across the region who have been imprisoned for their online activities. Those mentioned included Mohammed al-Ghamdi, Assad al-Ghamdi, and Nora al-Qahtani, all serving lengthy prison sentences in Saudi Arabia for social media posts.

A day after the 18 December panel, the event’s video and transcript were removed from the internet, according to HRW. A new version of the video was later uploaded, but on 22 December, when HRW inquired about the removal, UN officials cited the IGF’s code of conduct, which states that participants should focus on issues rather than individuals, groups, or governments. HRW reported that on 13 January, the IGF published an edited version of the panel discussion on YouTube, in which significant portions of Hathloul’s comments were removed. The names and cases of imprisoned Saudi rights defenders were replaced with a note referring to the same IGF code of conduct. However, references to similar cases from Latin America were left intact.

HRW also stated that UN officials told Joey Shea, HRW’s Saudi Arabia researcher and panel moderator, that the Saudi government had complained about the event and asked the UN to revoke her conference accreditation. According to HRW, officials cited an HRW video referencing Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s case as the reason for the complaint and suggested that Shea’s mention of detained activists might have violated the IGF’s code of conduct. UN officials considered whether to revoke her accreditation but ultimately allowed her to remain at the conference. HRW maintains that Shea’s comments did not constitute a “personal or ad hominem attack” and that she did not specify which governments had imprisoned the activists.

Other rights groups also reported difficulties at the UN IGF event. HRW stated that UN staff confiscated fliers from Amnesty International’s exhibit booth about two detained women—Manahel al-Otaibi, a Saudi fitness instructor, and Neth Nahara, an Angolan singer—both of whom were jailed over social media posts. Another panel, co-hosted by US-based digital rights NGO Access Now and Nigerian digital rights group Paradigm Initiative, was repeatedly disrupted by explicit content, including after the mention of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

HRW has called on the UN to take action to prevent such incidents in future conferences. Brown emphasized: “The UN and its member states should be working to defend freedom of expression and facilitate vibrant civil society participation at all of its conferences, not participating in abuses by host governments.” She also noted that with the IGF’s mandate up for renewal later this year, it is critical for the UN to ensure civil society can safely participate in future forums and avoid applying what she described as an “arbitrary” code of conduct.