March 12th, 2008
“Reporters Without Borders” to Launch “International Online Free Expression Day”
By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews
Reporters Without Borders, whose mission is to fight for press freedom will launch the first International Online Free Expression Day on Wednesday March 12th. At the same time it will also organize its second “24-hour online demonstration against Internet censorship.” Internet users are urged to come and demonstrate on their website, www.rsf.org.
In an emailed press release, Reporters Without Borders said:
To denounce government censorship of the Internet and to demand more online freedom, Reporters Without Borders is calling on Internet users to come and protest in online versions of nine countries that are Internet enemies during the 24 hours from 6 a.m. ET tomorrow, March 12, to 6 a.m. ET on March 13. Anyone with Internet access will be able to create an avatar, choose a message for their banner and take part in one of the cyber-demos taking place in Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, North Korea, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.
(Cyber-Demo for China above; click to enlarge).
RWB lists 15 countries in this year’s list of “Internet Enemies” - Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. In 2007 there were only 13 - Zimbabwe and Ethiopia were added this year.
Additionally, RWB has a supplementary list of 11 “countries under watch.” They are Bahrain, Eritrea, Gambia, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
According to RWB,
Unlike the “enemies,” these countries do not imprison bloggers or censor the Internet massively. But they are sorely tempted and abuses are common. Many of them have laws that they could use to gag the Internet if they wanted. And the judicial or political authorities often use anti-terrorism laws to identify and monitor government opponents and activists expressing themselves online.
Also Wednesday, RWB will release a new version of the Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents (in French and English) on their website). The handbook offers practical advice and techniques on how to start up a blog, how to blog for anonymously and how to circumvent censorship. It also includes the accounts of bloggers from countries such as Egypt and Burma.
We Say: Take a few minutes and protest; it’s virtual, after all.
Madi Njie says:
I congratulate you for your the determination and successes recorded in your camppaigns, and this embargo in particular.
Currently, Malick Jones broadcaster at the State Radio and Television Services and Mam Sait Ceesay former editor-in-chief of the daily observer and press secretary at State house are facing trial for sending information to foreign journalist through the internet. Fatou Jaw Manneh, a U.S based Gambian female journalist has been facing trial for almost one year now. She was arrested on March 28, 2007 upon arrival at the Banjul International Airport from her base in U.S, accused of posting seditious information in the ninternet against Gambian president Yahya Jammeh. She pleaded not guilty. On March 17,2008, the presiding magistrate at the Kanifing courts said her files were missing. On 22 March the Gambia government did all it can to stifle the media using colleague journalists during the Gambia Press Union’s 5th triennual Congress. Pro-government Daily Observer Newspaper Staff and other journalists were used to contest for the GPU leadership so that the union can fall under the controls of government employees. Just a week before the congress, the government to sponsored over 54 staff of the state owned Gambia Radio and Television Services to register as members of the union so that they can have a majority votes in the congress and dominate the GPU leadership.
This and other attempts failed. However, observer’s belief this is a signal for the start of a havier war by the government against the media. Therefore, the campaign on cuber censorship should be a continous process, and special campaigns be conducted in your suplementary list of countries under watch, such as the Gambia
March 30th, 2008 at 2:15 am