Featured stories from November 2010
Stories from November, 2010
Egypt: A Facebook User in A Military Court
Many of Egyptian Facebook users are both surprised and outraged by the military trial of one of them; Ahmad Hassan Bassiouny, is one of the 2.4 million Egyptians on Facebook, and because he created a group on this social network, he is charged with disclosing military secrets on the internet,...
Iran: World's Youngest Detained Blogger on Trial
The Iranian government is not only world-class when it comes to persecuting bloggers, they have also set numerous records: from the first jailed blogger in history, to the first blogger to die in prison. Unfortunately, a new record can now be added to the list of Iran's repressive achievements: the...
Azerbaijan: ‘Donkey bloggers’ released
Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two video blogging youth activists, were conditionally released late this week in Azerbaijan, the oil-rich former Soviet republic. However, both men maintain their innocence while international human rights groups and organizations consider the charges against them to be politically motivated.
Iran:World’s youngest detained blogger on trial
Reporters without Borders (RSF) reports The world’s youngest detained blogger, 18-year-old Navid Mohebbi, is currently being tried behind closed doors before a revolutionary court in the northern city of Amol. His lawyer is not being allowed to attend the trial, which began on 14 November.
China: Activist sentenced to 1 year labour re-education for political satire
According to Chinese Human Rights Defenders’ tweet human rights activist Wang Yi, real name Cheng Jianping 程建萍, was sentenced to one year labour re-education for forwarding a political satire post about the anti-Japanese Protest in Twitter. Before the labour re-education determination came out, Wang Yi was detained in a hostel...
Palestinian blogger arrested for criticism of Islam on Facebook
Palestinian blogger, Waleed Khalid Hasayin (pen name: Waleed Al-Husseini), a 26-year-old barber from the West Bank city of Qalqilya, has been arrested by the Palestinian authorities for creating a facebook page named “Allah”. According to blogger Marwa Rakha, the page has been reported and shut down, but Waleed has created...
Egypt: Netizen Facing Military Trial for Creating Facebook Page
Update 1: On November 30th, 2010, the military court sentenced Ahmed to 6 months imprisonment for broadcasting secrets of defense on Facebook. For the second time in Egypt an internet user is going to face a military trial. Ahmed Hassan Basiouny is facing a military trial this month under case...
Cuba: Telecommunications, Internet Access, and US-Cuba Policy
US-based and US-affiliated telecom companies, which is to say, nearly all telecoms that offer service in the Caribbean, face severe restrictions in the US- Cuba embargo legislation, and this has put Cuba in a fundamental disadvantage for decades when it comes to telecommunications. The blogosphere reacts
Chiapas: Warrantless arrest of Free Software activist
Chiapas was a pioneer in the use of digital activism by grassroots social movements. It started in 1994 with the Zapatista movement and it keep growing to become a tool of empowerment beyond the rebels. It provides alternative digital media - newspapers and radio - it helps Chiapanecos develop their own software - they even have hackerspaces in autonomous communities such as Oventik and Tzajala - and their digital communities are growing as you can see in the Chiapatuit, Fedora and Free Software community.
Thailand now blocking 277,610 websites
Conservative, Royalist Manager media network published the first govt announcement of further Internet censorship since July. Buried in Manager’s propaganda, we learn that the new Army commander has signed a memorandum of understanding with the ICT minister and the ministers of justice and culture. The MOU specifies 43,000 new websites to be blocked immediately and 3,000 pending for lèse majesté content.
Peru: Blogger Sentenced for Defamation of Former Politician
On Friday, October 29th, the court's sentence was handed down for the offensive libel suit brought by the former government minister and parliament member Jorge Mufarech Nemy against the law school graduate and blogger José Alejandro Godoy. The judge's ruling calls for a suspended sentence of three years imprisonment, commuted to a three-year probation as long as Godoy fulfills additional obligations: a payment of 350 thousand soles (approx. $125,000) and 120 days of community service. The reaction from the media and bloggers has been immediate.
China: Blacklisting netizens
Shanghai government has blacklisted 80 netizens and exposed their user names and IPs on the Expose Channel of Shanghai Internet Social Credit Investigation Web. Most of the listed netizens are charged with offenses such as “spreading rumor” and “disturbing social and public order”. Informations exposed in the website include: 1....
Turkey Unblocks YouTube, but Will Ban Be Short-Lived?
YouTube has been banned in Turkey since 2007. Now, for the first time in two years, the popular video-sharing site is once again accessible in Turkey. Since the site was unblocked, however, videos that were the initial impetus for the censorship have been restored. Will the unblocking be short-lived or will Turkey stand by this step toward Internet freedom?
