huridocs-tech Likely Web Censorship Against the Spanish Association Against Torture

Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network
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## author     : marga@DERECHOS.ORG
## date       : 16.03.00
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March 16, 2000

Dear Friends,

According to the Spanish newspaper ABC, the Director of the
Agency of Data Protection has ordered that the website of
the Association Against Torture (ACT)  in Spain be shut down
and has opened an administrative procedure against the ACT.
If found guilty, the ACT could face up to a millon dollars
in fines.

The Association Against Torture is one of the few
organizations that investigates and publishes information
about allegations of torture in Spain.  Its website contains
reports on torture practices in Spain as well as lists of
government agents who have been accused of torture or
brutality.  These lists contain the name of the accused, the
date and place of the incident and the status of the
investigation.

In December 1999, Spain passed a data protection law with
provisions similar to those of the European privacy
directive.  This law prohibits the publication of databases
containing personal information.  No exception is made for
information of public importance, such as the names of human
rights violators.

The ACT has three days to appeal the decision of the Agency
or shut down its site.  Otherwise the Agency may force the
ACT's ISP (Nodo50 - a non-profit ISP) to shut down the site.

Derechos Human Rights strongly condemns the actions of the
Agency for Data Protection.  It is essential for a
democratic society to have information about human rights
violators.  Government officials must be accountable for
their actions and should not be able to hide behind privacy
laws. Furthermore, human rights organizations should be able
to freely publish all information about human rights
violations and those responsible for them without fear.

Derechos has set up a mirror for the ACT website, which can
be found at http://www.netrights.org/act/ - we encourage
other people who care about freedom of speech to do
likewise.

Thank you.

Margarita Lacabe - Derechos - marga@derechos.org - http://www.derechos.org



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