1 Nov 2006

Amnesty's "Call to Bloggers" to stand up for freedom

48 blogs that linked to ""Call to Bloggers" to stand up for freedom ahead of world meeting on future of ..." (Blogsnow)

This from Amnesty International's ‘Call to Bloggers’, asking them to get online and stand up for freedom of expression on the internet:

"Yahoo! via its Chinese partner company, Alibaba, has provided the Chinese authorities with private and confidential information about its users that has been used to convict and imprison journalists. It has also agreed to censor and deny access to information.
Microsoft shut down the blog of New York Times researcher Zhao Jing on the basis of a Chinese government request. The company has also admitted that it responds to directions from the Chinese government in restricting users of MSN Spaces from using certain terms. Google has launched a censored version of its international search engine in China.
Amnesty International is also highlighting the cases of prisoners of conscience, imprisoned for the expression of their peaceful views online.
Chinese journalist Shi Tao used his Yahoo! account to email a US-based website about an internal government directive instructing journalists how to handle media coverage of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities." Yahoo! provided information to the government that was used in his prosecution.
Tunisian lawyer and human rights defender Mohammed Abbou is serving a three and a half year prison sentence largely for publishing articles critical of the Tunisian authorities on the internet.
Vietnamese political dissident Truong Quoc Huy was first arrested in October 2005 with two other young people after chatting on a democracy and human rights website. He was held incommunicado for nine months then released, but on 18 August 2006 he was rearrested in an internet cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, where he had logged on to a chatroom. His whereabouts remain unknown and no charges have been publicised."

Read all at "Call to Bloggers" to stand up for freedom ahead of world meeting on future of Internet - Amnesty International