A/HRC/RES/44/12 Recalling that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities, in accordance with article 19 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Stressing the importance of the full respect for the freedom to seek, receive and impart information, including the fundamental importance of access to information, and for democratic participation, transparency and accountability, and of combating corruption, Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly of its resolution 74/5 on 15 October 2019, in which the Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information, Underscoring the importance of access to information held by public authorities, including on alleged violations and abuses of human rights, for the full and effective participation of individuals, groups and organs of society, including human rights defenders, in consultations, decision-making processes and, where relevant, implementation efforts related to legislation, policies, programmes and projects, with a view to mainstreaming, promoting and protecting human rights, Recognizing that public authorities should strive to make information available, whether the information is proactively published electronically or provided upon request, and also that access to information, both online and offline, is necessary for, inter alia, journalists and other media workers, civil society organizations, human rights defenders and trade union activists, to conduct their work effectively and meaningfully, and that any restriction on the freedom to seek, receive and impart information must comply with relevant international law, Strongly condemning the use of Internet shutdowns to intentionally and arbitrarily prevent or disrupt access to or dissemination of information online, 1. Reaffirms the rights contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in particular the right to freedom of opinion and expression, which includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art or through any other media of one’s choice, and the intrinsically linked rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, peaceful assembly and association and the right to vote and take part in the conduct of public affairs; 2. Also reaffirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular the right to freedom of opinion and expression; 3. Reiterates its continuing concern that violations of the rights referred to in paragraph 1 above continue to occur, often with impunity, and are facilitated and aggravated by the abuse of states of emergency; 4. Strongly condemns the threats, reprisals and violence against and the targeting, criminalization, intimidation, arbitrary detention, torture, disappearance and killing of any individual, including journalists and other media workers, and human rights defenders, for their advocacy of human rights, for reporting and seeking information on human rights violations and abuses or for cooperating with national, regional and international mechanisms, including in relation to economic, social and cultural rights, which have increased and are not adequately punished, in particular where public authorities are involved in committing such acts; 5. Recognizes that the free flow of information is an important component of access to information, which is essential for advancing the promotion and protection of human rights, including of women’s and girls’ full enjoyment of human rights and to achieving gender equality; 6. Underlines that the right to freedom of opinion and expression and access to information are critical for the implementation and achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 7. Stresses that a democratic society depends on respect for human rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, and that undue restrictions on the freedom to 3