Archive for
March 11th, 2007

   

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Egypt: Kareem's Appeal Case Tomorrow

Amira Al Hussaini · 12:32 · Middle East & North Africa
lingua → fr

abdel_karim_blogger_s50.JPG Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabeel Sulaiman's appeal is expected to be heard by an Alexandria court tomorrow. (March 12)

The Egyptian blogger made history last month by being the first writer in his country to be sentenced to four years in prison for articles he wrote on his blog.

The 22-year-old former Al Azhar University student was charged with defaming Islam and insulting Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The sentence was criticised by bloggers, writers, human rights activists and campaigners for free speech from all over the world, who demanded his immediate release.

Fellow blogger Freedom for Egyptians posts an article discussing Kareem's ordeal.

“As an Egyptian fellow blogger I stand with Karim, because I will never side with processes meant to terrorize innocent citizens who are exercising their innate right to freedom of expression and because I will never be part of a tribunal of inquisition in the 21st century. Those tribunals judged arbitrarily and without appeal like the current Emergency Laws and military courts applied in Egypt,” she writes.

“During the Middle Ages between the 5th and the 15th centuries, the Catholic Church was not only a religious institution, but also an immensely rich financial establishment that interferes and influences politics in the West. The largest Sunni religious institution in Egypt and the Middle East, Al-Azhar, has the right to give its say in politics and referring people accused of heresy to courts and prisons. If the measure cannot be damaging enough to send people to prisons like Egyptian blogger Abdel Karim, an irreversible Fatwa (religious opinion) can lead an Islamic fanatic or extremist to put an end to a person exercising his freedom of expression by spilling his blood. The Cairo-based religious institution is financed by the government and their employees are civil servants.”

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Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

A small portrait of the translator Salam Adil · 07:35 · Middle East & North Africa
lingua → fr

Today's post is on daily life in Iraq. Read moments in the life of an Iraqi blogger, find out the real difference between boys and girls, and learn of the importance of Mutanabbi street… but first my sincere condolences go out to Neurotic Wife whose aunt died recently. She mourned not just for her aunt but for all the others who lost their lives in Iraq. In her words:

When my brother broke the news of my aunt passing away a few weeks back, I went silent for a few seconds. I had to control all the emotions that were going through me at that moment. I didnt wanna break down and cry in the middle of the office. I didnt wanna show my tears to anyone. I kept it hidden deep down inside but the minute I reached my room, a few hours later, I let it all out. I let all my sadness, my anger my frustrations out. I locked the door and hid in the corner and cried. Cried like I havent cried before. I cried so hard that I choked on my tears. I couldnt stop. I guess I didnt wanna stop. I wanted it all out. (more…)

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Russia: International Women's DayVideo post

Veronica Khokhlova · 06:00 · Eastern & Central Europe
            
                     
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International Women's Day - by LJ user ljpost

March 8 happened to be the first really warm and sunny day in Moscow this year, and although crowds were out celebrating the International Women's Day, this didn't silence the Russian blogosphere at all.

LJ user ljpost, whose beer-drinking smiley creation is reproduced above, has also posted a March 8 male joke (RUS):

[She]: Darling, have you bought a March 8 present for me?
[He]: Of course, my dear.
[She]: Is it something that I'll like?
[He]: If you don't, you can give it to me: I've been dreaming about a spinning rod like this for a long time.

Joking (but not beer) aside, LJ user galerist - a well-known Russian gallery owner Marat Guelman - takes a moment to greet his mother, wife and daughter (RUS):

For me, it's not the “International Women's Day” - but the day of mama, Yulia and Eva.

If I've achieved anything, for example, it's only because I wanted to prove my “specialness” to Yulia. That is, she is my motivation. That I didn't screw it all up, in my meanderings, is also her achievement.

My mama, who is now with me always (thanks to LJ) - she may understand little of my life, but her emotions are my energy.

My dear little daughter makes me stay young and easily puts me into a state of idiotic delight several times a day. […]

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YouTube blocked and unblocked in Thailand

A small portrait of the translator Preetam Rai · 03:07 · East Asia
lingua → fr

Visitors to popular video sharing site YouTube were re-directed to a government web site from Friday to Saturday noon.

2Bangkok has a post on the block

When attempting to reach the YouTube site from within Thailand, the user is redirected to MICT. MICT is the government agency responsible for censoring the internet in Thailand. The reasons and criteria for blocking are usually not made public. In the past, if the resulting controversy over a certain blocking is too great, the blocked site comes back online and the government denies it was ever blocked at all.

MICT stands for the Ministry of Communication and Technology.

Speculating on the possible reasons for the block, forum poster Jromerz writes

Looking around in youtube now (after getting in without typing those three letters in the URL) and its still got blocks up within the site. If you click on a member's profile then you get the mict page again, and some (or most?) clips don't seem viewable.
It must be all those cnn interview posts

Thaksin on CNN
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Taiwan: bloggers act on saving Lo-Sheng Sanatorium

A small portrait of the translator Pipper Lee · 01:08 · East Asia

Losheng Sanatorium is a hospital for lepers which is located in the suburbs of Taipei. Since 1930s, this hospital is the only public sanatorium for Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients in Taiwan. In 2001, due to the construction of Taipei mass rapid transportation, the authorities planned to transform Losheng to a community hospital, thus put an end to its dedicated hospitalization and care for the leprosy ex-patients. Many students, urban planners and NGO tried to save this sanatorium from that time. After five years, they finally got a chance to make the government reconsidering a new version which reserves 90% of the sanatorium, instead of the original plan, 41%.

However, just two days ago, the Department of Rapid Transit System (Taipei) asked all the leprosy ex-patients remained in the sanatorium to move out before March 13th, or the enforcement will make that happened by the strong arm. In this morning (March 8th), 200 policemen dispersed 50 people who were gathering in front of the residence owned by Executive Yuan Premier, Mr. Su Tseng-Chang. Yao, a blogger who was there on that time, called it as a dark day:
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