Tag Archive | United Arab Emirates
Freedom of Expression: Activists Jailed for Criticizing Government
The Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced five political activists to prison for publicly criticizing the country’s leaders. The defendants were arrested in April for making various comments, and they appeared in court several times, mostly behind closed doors. Prominent blogger Ahmed Mansour received the longest sentence – three years. He faced [...]
Free Speech: Bloggers Under Fire
One of the most grave threats to free expression in many countries these days is the intimidation and persecution of bloggers and online journalists. The effects are often far-reaching as bloggers are scared into silence. While the Arab Spring has brought about many positive changes throughout the region, several Middle Eastern countries continue to take [...]
Pakistan Escalates Its Internet Censorship
Censorship of political content has no place in Pakistan’s democracy, which guarantees freedom of expression. When websites are blocked in a country with over 20 million internet users, people tend to notice. In Pakistan, where the openness of the internet has been threatened regularly for more than half a decade, new developments are quickly noticed by [...]
Arab Dictatorships Use McAfee and Other U.S. Technology to Censor Internet and Spy
Source: AllGov Authoritarian regimes in the Middle East have had plenty of help from American firms when it comes to censorship and spying on pro-democracy protestors. One of the biggest players is Intel-owned McAfee Inc., provider of content-filtering software used by governments in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to block news and communications about demonstrations. [...]
Blackberry Censorship? Where Will This All Stop?
Source: CNET Asia – By Vishnu Mahmud, Indonesia It’s been an interesting few weeks. Indonesian Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring a few weeks ago demanded Research in Motion (RIM) to block pornography on its Blackberry smartphones. Or its web service will be closed down. This raised the hackles of many Indonesians, especially those who depend on [...]
