Nations that Censor the Net.

Authors:
MacMillan, Douglas

Source:
Business Week Online; 11/10/2006, p8-8, 1p

"Reporters Without Borders calls out China, Myanmar, Belarus, and 10 other countries for quashing online political and religious expression." (para 1)

" "We wanted to raise awareness of the history of censorship in these countries among democratic nations, who tend to take advantage of Internet freedoms," says Reporters Without Borders spokeswoman Lucie Morillon. "But we also wanted to provide a means for people in repressed countries to show solidarity."
The group recently staged a 24-hour protest in public spaces of New York and Paris, condemning China and 12 other countries for their steps toward repressive censorship of Internet journalists. The group cited the wrongful jailing of at least 61 "cyber-dissident" reporters, 52 of whom currently remain in Chinese prisons." (para 2)

"The Belarus government, under President Alexander Lukashenko, has been criticized for monopolizing communication systems to block Web sites that even hint at political opposition, particularly during election season. Last year, Pavel Morozov, a former student of the European Humanitarian University and member of the Third Way opposition group, was jailed by the KGB at age 26 when he posted homemade animations critical of the President on the Internet." (para 7)

"In North Korea, for example, Dictator Kim Jong-Il has absolute control of North Korea's media, and grants only a few thousand citizens access to the Internet. When these privileged Net surfers log on, however, they find only around 30 Web sites, which are filled with photos of the leader and praise for the government. The Vietnamese government threatens penalties of as long as three years in jail for voicing democratic sentiments online." (para 9)

"Reporters Without Borders, a 21-year-old organization, calls the protest a success and may consider a similar event in the future. Its long-term goal is to encourage all 13 nations to change their policies toward censorship to the point where they can be removed from the list." (para 11)


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