Nine Israeli soldiers kicked in the door of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) media office in the Palestinian West Bank town of Ramallah and demanded the passports of the internationals present. The soldiers confiscated a desktop computer used by ISM volunteers.
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Syrian blogger Karim Arbaji was sentenced on September 13 to three years in prison for “publishing mendacious information liable to weaken the nation‚Äôs morale” under article 296 of Syria’s criminal code.¬† Arbaji, who was arrested on July 6, 2007, had been held without trial for two years.

Before his arrest, Arbaji was responsible for running the online forum Akhawia, which allowed discussion on a wide variety of topics (the site is still maintained).¬† The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has called for the release of Karim Arbaji, stating the following: Read the rest of this entry…

“Going online in countries where internet censorship is common is rather like visiting a parallel universe run by the world’s strictest, most bigoted parents. Entire sites disappear without warning,” writes Gary Marshall at Techradar.com.

This article has some very good information for those wishing to know exactly what risks bloggers and other online content creators face in less open areas around the world. From Saudi Arabia, to Cuba to Iran, Tunisia, Burma, Belarus, it’s a good overall piece with some sound advice. These include using Picidae to turns websites into images, allowing you to read web pages without the text going into your cache or browser history; Freegate, which uses proxy servers to reroute traffic and Tor, which accesses sites through “virtual tunnels.”

Tamer Mabrouk

Tamer Mabrouk, a blogger in the Egyptian town of Port Said, has been levied a huge fine for writing about a chemical company in his country, Trust Chemical Industries, according to an email from the blogger. His blogging outlined irregularities in the company’s activities, including alleged dumping of hazardous materials into the Suez Canal. They responded by suing him and the Egyptian courts ruled against him. Read the rest of this entry…

The Committee to Protect Journalists (no relation) has released its list of 10 Worst Countries to Be a Blogger (via Frontline Club’s blog).

1. Burma
2. Iran
3. Syria
4. Cuba
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Vietnam
7. Tunisia
8. China
9. Turkmenistan
10. Egypt

We’d probably have a slightly different list, and certainly in a slightly different order. Egypt is arrest happy, and they love torture and rape in their jail. Iran is working diligently to pass China in overall repression and specifically against bloggers. No other country is working to enact a law that would make killing bloggers legal. Still, CPJ’s list is worth reading.

Parviz (on left) from Thoughts on the Road

We received an email from Emin Huseynzade, the Caucasus project manager for Transition Online, a well-regarded magazine on Central Asian issues, about Parviz Azimov. Parviz posted on his blog about corruption at Lankaran State University, the college he attended in the southern Azeri city of Lankaran. He was ejected from university because of his posting.

He is in his 4th year and should graduate in 1.5 months. But university officials decided to do it, because his posts were reprinted in big newspapers. I am calling for help. He is trained by two-months-long trainings provided by Transitions Online on new media and blogging.

Parviz has worked hard to graduate from college. He’s clearly principled and talented enough to research and write in such a way that professional newspapers are willing to use his work. His college should suck it up and reward Parviz for his work, not punish him for it.

According to the blog Thoughts on the Road, Parviz is petitioning the Azeri pariliament for redress. College students especially among our membership should make an effort to write the Lankaran University leadership in support. The LU email is office@lsu.edu.az. Click here for the website of the Azeri parliament. office@lsu.edu.a

Meanwhile, the university, in a country notorious for its corruption, is attempting to claim Parviz is a drug dealer!

Here’s a link to Parviz’s press conference about his being expelled.

According to National Terrorist Alert, the Saudi Gazette and others, the Saudis have made cameras in Internet cafes mandatory across the kingdom. The rationale is to catch militant Muslim extremists and, in fact, that is an increasing problem in the country. However, anyone who believes the spying will be restricted to the violent elements in the society is clearly high. The same law that has placed the cameras also has the following elements, according to NTA.

Internet cafes will also be required to identify all their customers.

People who do not have a license will be forbidden to access the Internet via satellite connections.

Minors under 18 years of old will not be allowed to use Internet cafes, which will be required to close at midnight.

The Gazette, who say Saudi police have already begun visiting the cafes to check on compliance, outlines still other rules.

The new security regulations include a ban on using any Internet service subscription, prepaid cards or unlicensed satellite Internet other than the one certified for use by the café. Those under 18 years of age will not be allowed entry into the cafés, which must close by midnight. Also, a Saudi must be employed and all phone lines must be in the name of the licensed café , not the owner’s or anybody else’s name.