This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vlad fedorov (talk | contribs) at 18:26, 21 February 2007 (→Russia: I have reported this again to Alex Bakharev). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:26, 21 February 2007 by Vlad fedorov (talk | contribs) (→Russia: I have reported this again to Alex Bakharev)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Persecution of political bloggers is the political repression of bloggers for their ideas and views expressed in the Internet. The persecution is usually conducted by state authorities or security services and may include harassment, intimidation, judicial prosecution, or extrajudicial punishment.
Along with development of the Internet, state authorities in many parts of the world are moving forward to install mass surveillance of the electronic communications, establish Internet censorship to limit the flow of information, and persecute individuals and groups who express “inconvenient” political views in the Internet. In liberal democracies the right to criticize the government without interference is considered an important element of free speech. However in regions where print and broadcast media are tightly controlled, the anonymous online postings may be the only source of information about the experiences, feelings, and opinions of ordinary citizens.
Many cyber-dissidents have found themselves persecuted for attempts to bypass state controlled news media. Reporters Without Borders has released a Handbook For Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents and maintains a roster of currently imprisoned cyber-dissidents. The Committee to Protect Bloggers has been created
Iran
Mohamad Reza Nasab Abdolahi was imprisoned for published an open letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His pregnant wife and other bloggers who commented on the arrest were imprisoned too.
Egypt
Several bloggers in Egypt are arrested for allegedly defaming the president Hosni Mubarak or expressing critical views about Islam
References
- Connor, A. (2005), Not just critics, BBC News, 20th June 2005. Retrieved on 29th November 2006.
- Egypt arrests another blog critic, BBC News, 20th November 2006. Retrieved on 29th November 2006.