After pressure from the UAE government, Amazon censored LGBTQ-related search results, keywords, and products from its online stores in the Emirates. This type of censorship is dangerous not only for the UAE but for the entire Arabic-speaking region. 

The online retail giant is usually very vocal about its efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion—at least in the U.S. Yet, in the UAE, it decided to comply with the government’s crackdown on LGBTQ rights by conceding to removing LGBTQ-related books, flags, and other items. Amazon is accepting blind compliance with practices that go against human rights and freedoms. "With Amazon stores around the world, we must also comply with the local laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate," stated an Amazon spokesperson.

“Amazon’s willingness to enact this type of censorship can have far-reaching consequences: it paves the road for future censorship driven by tech-giants in fields such as religion, politics, sexuality, and academic perspectives, etc,” warned Mohamad Najem, executive director at SMEX. “The UAE has a restrictive and oppressive legal system, and this concession opens the door for further on-demand censorship. This is digital authoritarianism,” he added.

We strongly condemn Amazon’s double narrative and urge it to retract from its decision to censor LGBTQ content in the UAE. Bowing to oppressive laws means complicity, and Amazon has the responsibility to contrast this push for censorship. 

Sign this petition to say no to Amazon’s support of the suppression of LGBT content in the UAE. We call on Amazon to:

• Reverse its decision to block LGBT content in the UAE.
• Respect human rights due diligence and business and human rights principles independently from political pressure.
• Conduct comprehensive and robust human rights impact assessments on its operations in the UAE and other countries in the Arabic-speaking region and how they affect or may affect freedom of expression and information and privacy of users. 
• Clarify its process for handling government censorship demands from the UAE government and other governments in the region and publish transparency reports containing data on the number of demands it receives and complies with.