UN: 60th Session of Human Rights Council commences in Geneva

On 8 September 2025, the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council started in Geneva (HRC60). The Human Rights Council is the primary body within the UN responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe, with significant implications for the right to freedom of expression online and offline.

The right to freedom of expression will be high on the agenda at the session, including negotiations on a new resolution regarding the role this right plays in women's empowerment. We will be advocating for this resolution to affirm that freedom of expression and gender equality are mutually reinforcing, indivisible, and interdependent. At the same time, the Council will discuss and take action on several country-specific human rights crises. We will be spotlighting violations of the right to freedom of expression in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Russia, and other countries worldwide.

Freedom of expression and women's empowerment

At HRC60, Brazil will be leading a resolution on the role freedom of opinion and expression plays in women's empowerment. A resolution on this topic was previously adopted back in 2013, and it will now be renegotiated and updated to reflect modern-day challenges, particularly to respond to opportunities and threats in the digital environment.

The right to freedom of expression and gender equality are mutually reinforcing, indivisible, and interdependent. Women's right to freedom of expression requires them to be equally able to share their ideas and opinions - online and offline - without censorship or fear of retaliation, which can drive them out of public debate. Women journalists in particular face uniquely gendered risks - from workplace harassment to online rape threats and physical attacks. A gendered and intersectional lens is vital to understand and mitigate these risks. The challenges women face differ depending on their race, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, and other characteristics. Those who already face oppression in one form or another typically face greater risks and harsher abuse.

We will be advocating for this resolution to recommend comprehensive public policy measures that remove barriers for women's exercise of their right to freedom of expression. We will push for language to ensure that women are at the centre of efforts to tackle problems they face and in formulating these comprehensive public policy responses. We will also advocate for the resolution to be intersectional and recognise that women's right to freedom of expression is key in ending structural discrimination, historical inequality, and unequal power relations.

Bangladesh

At the Human Rights Council, Bangladesh does not have a dedicated dialogue for delegations and civil society to speak out and call for accountability for human rights violations. However, we will be conducting a mission and speaking out at the session - including in the Item 4 General Debate on human rights situations that require the attention of the Council - to ensure that the government does not evade scrutiny.

Following the July 2024 uprising and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and formation of an interim government, Bangladesh is now heading for elections in February 2026. This political reset has prompted major reforms in the digital regulatory framework,which risk overbroad content takedowns, intrusive surveillance, weak transparency, and due process gaps that may chill the right to freedom of expression. Journalists, political candidates, human rights defenders and other civil society actors - especially women and those who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination - also continue to face disproportionate risks, including gendered harassment, threats, and intimidation, online and offline. As we approach the general election, it is essential that there is a resilient election information space.

At the session, we will be calling for Bangladesh to ensure the full respect for the right to freedom of expression and implement human rights safeguards such as due process, transparency, and independent judicial oversight to ensure free and fair elections in February 2026. We will also urge Bangladesh to take action to protect those at risk of human rights violations, including to tackle gender-specific violations.

Cambodia

As with each September session, the human rights situation in Cambodia will also face heavy scrutiny. Japan will lead a resolution to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia and to provide recommendations to the government to improve its human rights situation. The Special Rapporteur will also present his annual report followed by an interactive dialogue.

ARTICLE 19's Global Expression Report reveals that Cambodia is facing a freedom of expression 'crisis', driven by an increasingly repressive legal framework, crackdowns on protests, and systemic harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, protesters, and other civil society actors. The right to freedom of expression online remains under severe constraint.

We will support coordinated efforts to ensure the renewal of the Special Rapporteur's essential mandate and a strong resolution on the human rights situation. During the interactive dialogue, we will once again raise the alarm over the increasingly shrinking civic space in the country.

Russia

The Special Rapporteur on the Russian Federation will also present an important report at the session, amid negotiations to renew her mandate to continue monitoring and reporting on the human rights crisis in the country. The Special Rapporteur's mandate was created back in 2022 - the first time that a human rights monitoring mechanism was created for one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council (known as the 'P-5').

Since the Council last renewed the mandate a year ago, the human rights situation in Russia has deteriorated even further, highlighting the essential role of this mandate. The legal framework has been further tightened to crack down on the right to freedom of expression, with many journalists and human rights defenders facing harassment, arrest, or exile. As highlighted by the High Commissioner, this has led to 'the near elimination of any form of dissent within the country'. We are particularly alarmed by Russia's tightening of its 'digital iron curtain', with ongoing efforts to replace global messaging platforms with state-controlled applications integrated into government services, alongside crackdowns on virtual private networks.

We will support efforts to ensure the renewal of the Special Rapporteur's essential mandate in our conversations with delegations. We will also participate in the interactive dialogue on the report, raising awareness of the dangerous escalation of digital repression.

During HRC60, follow @article19 for live updates and use #HRC60 to join the discussion. You can also check out our full coverage of the session here.