Benjamin Ismail, Campaigns and Advocacy Director at GreatFire, has highlighted the essentiality of freedom of expression as the basis of all human rights in a recent interview. Ismail emphasizes that in contexts where open debate is restricted, the lack of this freedom not only leads to self-censorship, but also makes critical realities that deserve to be addressed invisible. His extensive experience in countries like Myanmar reaffirms his belief that without a strong framework of fundamental freedoms, progress in other areas of development is difficult to achieve.
In his professional trajectory, Ismail has traveled a significant path that began with his studies in Chinese language and civilization, as well as in political science and international law in Paris. His initiation into activism took place at Reporters Without Borders, where he had an impact on the organization’s direction and strategy on crucial issues related to the protection of journalists. During his leadership in the Asia-Pacific desk, he faced numerous challenges in defense of press freedom.
In 2011, Ismail joined GreatFire, a platform dedicated to monitoring online censorship. Here he implemented prominent projects such as the App Censorship Project, which focuses on tracking the censorship of applications in the digital stores of Apple and Google. Among his innovative approaches is the “collateral freedom” strategy, designed to make the censorship of sensitive content more complex without undermining other essential services.
Reflecting on the current situation, Ismail expressed his concern about the growing advancement of technological censorship in authoritarian regimes, particularly in China and Russia. He compared the evolution of these control strategies and expressed that, although Western democracies face their own challenges, his main concern lies in the future of freedom of expression in contexts that are less democratic and more restrictive.
Finally, Ismail was critical of the notion of heroes in the fight for human rights, stating that many of the admired figures have disappointed expectations. Instead, he is inspired by the anonymous fighters who act in the shadows, defending fundamental freedoms with admirable commitment and determination.
via: MiMub in Spanish