It has been common practice for country, with oppressive governments to block website for a while now, whether is the Chinese, who say it is for guarding against ‘pornography’ or Egypt which gives the reason of ‘protecting minds from being corrupted’.¬† The reasons never seem to ‘reasonable’.

Disturbingly we rae getting reports of a new trend where the authorities do not block the site (Twitter in this case), but block and individual users page from appearing in that country.¬† Nawaat reports that Tunisia and Bahrain have blocked some of its dissidents’ user pages/profiles from appearing.

Sami Ben Gharbia, whose twitter username is @ifikra,¬† the exiled Tunisian activist has had his page blocked in Tunisia, so has engineer, @Ma7moud and @nawaat, the twitter page for Nawaat, the popular indepoendent news source.¬† Bahrain also reportedly blocked @FreeBahrain on New Year’s Day.

This points to the lengths and sophistication that is now accompanying online repression.  Authorities are now prepared to employ the most sophisticated methods to ensure independent voices are not heard

Image of tweets confirming the blocking

Lets hope this does not start a trend.

Hamsa’s C.R.I.M.E. Report:¬† In Tunisia, blogger Lina Ben Mhenni, Fatma Arabicca a college theatre professor who writes a sarcastically critical blog about government policy under the name “Arabicca,” was arrested on suspicion of being (of all things) a cartoonist.

Authorities have been looking for a political cartoonist who goes by the name “Blog de Z” and figured Fatma might be he (she) and thus confiscated her computer, searched her Facebook account and demanded access to all her website login details. She is currently released but could face further charges and the possibility of up to three years in jail for her blogging.

You would think that, you know, from a PR perspective, more governments would sort of see that alleging (not to mention arresting someone for) drawing some cartoons, would just seem, you know, dumb. But then you’d think the same thing about arresting or charging someone for blogging would seem likewise.

Last week, Tunisian blogger Fatma Riahi was detained on possible libel charges. According to Sami Ben Gharbia of Global Voices Advocacy:

On Monday, November 2nd, 2009, Tunisian blogger and college Theatre professor, Fatma Riahi (34), known online as Arabicca, was summoned to appear before the Criminal Brigade of Gorjani (Tunis), where she was questioned about her online activities.

Fatma was released the same day around 10 pm then summoned again the next day, on Tuesday November 3rd when three Security officers escorted her to her house in Monastir, located at 160 km from the capital (Tunis), to conduct a search for evidence that she may be hiding behind the pen-name of the famous Tunisian cartoonist blogger Blog de Z. They also confiscated her PC. On Wednesday, they escorted her again to her home in search for her passwords and managed to access her facebook account.

A Free Arabicca campaign blog has been launched by fellow Tunisian bloggers in support for Fatma, as well as a facebook page.

Reports have now confirmed that Fatma has been released (on November 7), however, she may still could face a criminal libel charge that potentially carries a prison term to up to three years in prison.

Abdallah Zouari

Tunisian blogger Abdallah Zouari was abducted by plainclothes police over the content of his website. He was released on September 16, but there is reason to believe that his life and freedom are at increased risk and that this action served as a warning over his human rights activism and writing.

Reporters without Borders reported that police cars begain parking out front Zouari’s home on September 11, and started tracking his movements and visitors “without warning or warrant.” They have also stopped visitors from entering his home.

“During my detention, which lasted several hours, members of the security forces issued vulgar insults against my lawyers and organizations like Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, who have been supporting my case . They tried to force me to sign a document swearing I would stop my activities as a journalist and activist. I will not sign that paper, even if I am required by law, I replied. They threatened me and my family if I kept taking photos of the police officers who are monitoring my home. They tried for hours to get extract personal information from me, and to get the password of my e-mail account.” – Abdallah Zouari

Here’s the news story in French, and a translation that’s kind of in English (via Google translate).

Zied el-Heni, a Tunisian blogger known for his attempt to sue that country’s telecommunications agency for blocking Facebook, reported that his laptop and CDs had been stolen, according to GVA.

I am sorry to inform you that my house has been raided and robbed on April 10, 2009. They stole my laptop and CDs which contain the efforts of my work day and night. I surrendered to pressure from friends, and reported the incident to the police, who took the usual procedures in such cases.

This does not seem to be a governmental job, but it is somewhat unclear.¬† According to GVA, “Zied’s blog has been blocked in Tunisia since October 23th, 2008.”

Tunisian authorities raided Radio Kalima’s premises and arrested the station coordiantor, Dhafer Otay.¬† Radio Kalima, was started by the same team that runs the locally blocked online news site Kalima.¬† In addition to the previous web-only programming they recently started satelitte trasmissions.

Police harasssed the radio reporters, in some cases sorrounding their homes and abusing them. Sehim Benesdrine is qouted on IFEX saying,

This is obviously a way to silence this radio … They (the authorities) can control all things on the land. They cannot control the sky, and for this reason they are reacting like this. We will continue broadcasting on satellite even after what happened today, and Radio Kalima will never be silenced

We applaud his courage and offer CPB continued support in whatever they are doing.

Tunisia is slowly going the Chinese way with three more blogs reportedly blocked this week.  The blogs, Mochagheb (Disturber), Ennaged (The Critic), and Place Mohamed Ali have all been very vocal in their support for The Tunisia General Labour Union and social commentary. 

There have been concerted efforts to block, hack and delete activists websites in Tunisia with the authorities there offering tacit approval. 

The blogger, Ennaged is quoted on the Global Voices Site, saying.. 

I think that the main reason of banning my blog is crossing the “red lines” that are constraining the media in
Tunisia by talking about issues that are completely ignored by mainstream media.

Sami Ben Gharbia on The Global Voices Advocacy informs us that the number of blocked, hacked sites in increasing daily.