Stories from November, 2008
Burmese Farmers Charged Using the Electronic Act
The Burmese Army has filed charges against farmers who had lodged a complaint with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) against the Central Ordinance Depot on the 3rd August after 5,000 acres of land was seized. The Military spokesperson Captain Phyo Wei Lin “accused the defendants of sending news and facts to the foreign media”, according to Mizzima News.
Missing Egyptian Blogger Detained in State Security Headquarters
Egyptian blogger Mohamed Adel has been missing for five days - five days in which nobody heard from him or knew of his whereabouts. Now, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) says that the blogger, who runs the blog Meit [Ar], which translates to Already Dead in English, is being held at the State Security headquarters in Cairo, also known as “Lazogli”, where torture has been practiced on the infamous fourth floor.
Malaysia: State Govt Battles Bloggers
The state government of Pahang in peninsular Malaysia has hired three bloggers to counter inaccurate or slanderous allegations and comments posted on the Internet. According to Bernama, State Information, Science, Technology...
Malaysia: Blogging Code of Ethics?
After much antagonism over blogs in Malaysia, the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, suggested recently that bloggers form their own ethics code to ensure accountability and fairness in...
Egypt: one blogger disappeared and another still in custody despite court order
Blogger Mohammad Adel who runs the blog Maeit (already dead!) disappeared since Friday, November 21, 2008. As reported by Wael Abbas on Twitter, Adel was supposedly going to meet with an American journalist for an interview, but the he did not show up. Blogger Mohamed Khairi is still in custody despite he received a release warrant few days ago. The Egyptian blogger who writes on “Jarr Shakal” blog (teasing) has been arrested at the dawn of the 17th of this November from his house in Fayoum governate in Nile Delta.
Brazil: Attempts to censor a documentary about censorship
Gagged in Brazil, a documentary about the relationship between politics, media and censorship in Brazil was taken off the Current TV networks after a political party's complaint. After a full investigation into the sources, the film is back online - but media censorship in Minas Gerais is an old and ongoing issue.
Update on Hoder
In recent days some sites and blogs wrote that Hossein Derakhshan, Hoder, was arrested. All refer to two things to prove such a claim: Iranian Jahan News site's report and...
Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan “arrested” In Tehran
According to Jahan News website, Iranian blogger, Hossein Derakhshan (aka Hoder), a prolific blogger often described as the godfather of the Iranian blogosphere, has been arrested In Tehran. Hossein returned to Iran about three weeks ago and is being investigated on suspicion of espionage for the state of Israel.
Brazil: Flash mob protest against Digital Crimes Bill
Brazilian bloggers and netizens took to the streets of São Paulo to protest against the Digital Crimes Bill, which typifies the cyber-crimes punishable by law and stipulates penalties accordingly. They...
An Egyptian internet writer and blogger still detained and his family is threatened to be killed
The mother and two sisters of the Egyptian blogger and Internet writer Reda Abdul Rahman were threaten to be killed, when they tried to ask state security agents about the whereabouts of Abdul Rahman, who was kidnapped last month by State Security Investigation.
Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt sentenced to twenty years and six months
Judge Daw Soe recently sentenced Nay Phone Latt to a total of twenty years and six months for possession of a banned video and having a blog to express his concerns about the increasingly difficulty of Burmese people to voice their opinions since the protests last year.
Malaysia: Blogger RPK to be freed
The High Court of Shah Alam, capital of Selangor in Malaysia, ruled that the detention of popular blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) was illegal....
The Info-Activism Camp: Tools and Tactics for Digital Advocacy
Struggling to make an impact on your target audience? Are issues unresolved despite your best efforts? Are you excited about the advocacy potential of the Internet, mobile phones or information...
Corporations Agree to Standards for Internet Freedom
The Global Network Initiative has been launched. The Initiative is a code of conduct for corporations on privacy and free speech created by a coalition of human rights, media development and research organizations, and Internet and communications companies such as Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft. Its goal: to ensure that ICT companies acknowledge their “responsibility to respect and protect the freedom of expression and privacy rights of their users.”
