Comments on: Free Speech Roundup: Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen

By: Broadcasters of Tomorrow

Broadcasters of Tomorrow — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:06:28 +0000

We try and keep track of some of this on our blog Broadcasters of Tomorrow. As journalism students we admire everyone’s attempts to express themselves in intelligent and thoughful ways.
Internet filters and blocks won’t do much to stop people from expressing themselves. The strong and resourceful voices manage to be heard.
http://uaestudents.blogspot.com/

By: Gary G. Swenchonis

Gary G. Swenchonis — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:31:22 +0000

Its no surprise that the Dictator Saleh of Yemen has cut off internet services. Freedom of information and knowledge are a dictators worse enemy.
But yet two american administrations have helped to keep this creep in power.

By: Aus aktuellem Anlaß…. « Indonesisch-Blog

Aus aktuellem Anlaß…. « Indonesisch-Blog — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:14:51 +0000

[...] ein deutsches Medienblog, Readers Edition, hat etwas zum Thema, übersetzt von einem Beitrag in Global Voices [...]

By: 120 days, 4 months in jail and new developments | Into Jordan | Events in Jordan, Jordanian Blogs and more!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:47:37 +0000

[...] Saudi Authorities have banned Fouad’s blog. Free Fouad sites. Just like they would ban any lowlife porn [...]

By: Readers Edition » Meinungsfreiheit zusammengefasst: Indonesien, Saudi-Arabien, Türkei, Jemen

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:38:08 +0000

[...] Beitrag erschien zuerst auf Global Voices. Die Übersetzung erfolgte durch Malgorzata Porzezynska, Teil des “Project Lingua“. [...]

By: Sami Ben Gharbja

Sami Ben Gharbja — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:19:40 +0000

@ am Pazu China has been covered by our Chinese language editor John kennedy, here and here.

By: Pazu

Pazu — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:02:49 +0000

I’m surprised that you don’t even mention China.

By: Tarek Ali

Tarek Ali — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:19:09 +0000

In fact, I feel quite enthusiastic of the detaining campaign conducted by the Saudi-Arabian government on bloggers. That means that the intellectual people (bloggers) are harassing the dictating regime which has been long disguising itself under the mantel of Islam. The question, I have been asking myself is that what Islam they have been enforcing on people? Is this Islam to seize other’s way of thinking? Is this Islam to deprive people of expressing viewpoints? Is this Islam to take state decisions without consulting the mass of people? Is this Islam to capture people only that they say their opinions frankly? Is this Islam to ban other’s ideology even if it is different from you? Finally, I could come up with satisfactory answer that is our Arabic presidents are our curse. And this is not an outcome of only few years or even decades but it is a result of many centuries in which the Islam was used as a tool to maintain iron grip on the mass of people. Our Islam was quite manipulated in such a way that it controls people’s minds. That has resulted in changing our set of mind to be only sheep that listen and obey, that go wherever the leader goes. Then, I would be more than honoured to be any one else other than that incapable Muslim. We have wonderful religion but it should be re-contextualised from new and be far from any political interests. All my prayers to you, AlFarahan. God bless you.

By: Kaw

Kaw — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:22:32 +0000

Another issue that deserves attention in Yemen is the blocking of YemenPortal.net.

The admin of the site wrote the following:
“This week, the government’s Minister of Information threatened to file lawsuits against news websites on the justification of ‘inciting hatred’ or ‘harming national interests’ and the other usual excused they often use to prosecute journalists. The threat is even more severe for websites because the government would use the penal code instead of the press law. This means that website owners could get up to death penalties.”

More here: http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/04/04/yemeni-government-threatens-to-sue-news-websites/