Article 35 of the Political Constitution of Republic of Guatemala expressly recognizes the right to freedom of expression of ideas in the following terms: Ideas can be expressed freely through any medium without prior censorship or authorization. This constitutional right cannot be restricted by any law or governmental decree.
It seems now, however, that Internet Service Providers CLARO/TELGUA, TIGO and Turbonett, Guatemala’s most prominent Internet Service Providers (ISPs), are ignoring the laws. Guatemalan users have reported blocked access to WordPress since Friday afternoon. El Abismo de Tux called customer service and blogged about it, stating that he had received no clear answer from them.
Demuexter reported the blocked access to many blogs hosted on WordPress. Homo Homini Lupus denounced the censorship in Guatemala and other blogs and tweets are demanding respect for freedom of expression in Guatemala. Micha Micha also reported WordPress blocked.
Guatemala’s largest newspapers have not yet reported the incident. Other bloggers have called the office of consumer protection, but have received few answers. This block occurs just after a political crisis last month, when social media tools were used to protest against the Government and demand justice.
Under the Twitter hashtag #bloqueowp you can find more updates, and some savvy Guatemalans are using Herdict to report the blocked site.
Let’s hope that the authorities and private companies will stop blocking websites and in the future will respect Guatemalans’ rights as consumers and citizens.
19 comments
en guatemala como que nos gusta el sensacionalismo. si el gobierno quisiera algo así no lo haría con wordpress sino con twitter facebook etc… mas creo q c cayó el servicio de un proveedor q le da a toda guatemala el enlace con ellos
El bloqueo inicio despues de que http://www.chapintocables.wordpress.com hablo mal del partido de oposicion “Patriota” del General Otto. Partido que tiene vinculos empresariales.
Asi que lo mas probable es que la censura venga por otro lado
Como en Honduras, los gorilas estan despertando. Cuidado
We are now in chapintocables.blogspot.com to avoid censorship, but this is a really bad situation. We are like Cube, Iran or North Korea.
hi, WP is not blocked any more…
we can enter freely again…
… let´s hope this was just one BIG mistake…
TurboNet (Guatemala’s largest Internet provider) has re-opened access to WordPress after a week long blackout.
Is WordPress now back on all 3 ISPs?
No, WordPress is still blocked by TIGO. I use Tigo from home and from my mobile and sadly it is still blocked.