18 JUNE 2025, GENEVA – In this report, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, examines the vital role of freedom of opinion and expression in ensuring free and fair elections. She identifies the key vulnerabilities of freedom of expression during elections, including an upsurge in disinformation and hate speech in polarized political contexts, the backsliding of social media platforms on their commitments to safety and electoral integrity and the weakening of traditional news media. The Special Rapporteur concludes that the decline in freedom of expression must be reversed if public trust in elections is to be restored.
Drawing on international law and good practices, she makes specific recommendations to States, political parties and companies to strengthen freedom of expression in electoral contexts
You can read the report by clicking below.