Activist bloggers face heightened crackdowns worldwide
Bloggers are under increasing attack from governments around the world for posting material critical of the state, BBC News reported Monday, citing the annual World Information Access (WIA) report.
The University of Washington report says 64 individuals have been arrested since 2003 for expressing their opinions on a blog. More than half of these cases were in China, Egypt and Iran.
According to the article, the report says that “arrests tended to increase during times of ‘political uncertainty,’ such as around general elections or during large scale protests.”
The total number of blogger arrests increased threefold between 2006 and 2007, the report notes, adding that bloggers face an average prison sentence of 15 months.
The WIA says the actual number of bloggers arrested could be significantly higher than its estimate, noting unverified reports of hundreds of suspected bloggers arrested in Burma.
For the full article, click here.
The University of Washington report says 64 individuals have been arrested since 2003 for expressing their opinions on a blog. More than half of these cases were in China, Egypt and Iran.
According to the article, the report says that “arrests tended to increase during times of ‘political uncertainty,’ such as around general elections or during large scale protests.”
The total number of blogger arrests increased threefold between 2006 and 2007, the report notes, adding that bloggers face an average prison sentence of 15 months.
The WIA says the actual number of bloggers arrested could be significantly higher than its estimate, noting unverified reports of hundreds of suspected bloggers arrested in Burma.
For the full article, click here.
posted by Doug @ 6/16/2008 04:00:00 PM
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