an article by Curt Hopkins, director of the comittee to protect Bloggers, has appeared in LA times. Here is the section that talks about Iran. Malysia and bahrain are also criticized for suppressing of the Bloggers.:
" The reformist cleric Abtahi,a former vice president of iran,started ablog,Webnevesht( www.webneveshteha.com),which has become a high profile instrument of critical thaught in a country without an independent media,But only a Blogger with Abtahi'spolitical portfolio could expect to do what he is doing without reprecusions.
In fact, Iran is the most blatant state repressor of bloggers in the world.At least 20 bloggers and online journalists have been arrested and two convicted there in recent months for criticizing the government and speaking in favor of freedom of expression.
Arash Sigarchi,a blogger and daily newspaper editor,was sentenced to 14 years in jail on charges of "espionage and insulting the country's leaders." Another Iranian blogger,Mohammad Reza Nasab abdollahi,was given a six-month jail sentence,also for insulting the country's leaders.Blogger Mojtaba Saminnejad was rerested less than month later after his bail was doubled and he could not pay.Abdolahi's pregnant wife,Najmeh Omidparvar,also a blogger,was arrested March 2. "
The article continues on repression of bloggers in Malysia (Jeff Ooi, for criticizing Islam Hadar,a philosophy of Islam promoted by the Malysian prime minister). They also talk about bahraini officials ,detaining Bahrainonline moderators.
"officials can jail bloggers but can't stop the meme."
"meme"is a Term denoting an idea with a life of its own,proliferating the way genes do as they are passed from generation to generation.The perfect conduit of memes is blogosphere,where there is a will and the means to allow dissent-and other forms of free expression-to reverberate.
" The reformist cleric Abtahi,a former vice president of iran,started ablog,Webnevesht( www.webneveshteha.com),which has become a high profile instrument of critical thaught in a country without an independent media,But only a Blogger with Abtahi'spolitical portfolio could expect to do what he is doing without reprecusions.
In fact, Iran is the most blatant state repressor of bloggers in the world.At least 20 bloggers and online journalists have been arrested and two convicted there in recent months for criticizing the government and speaking in favor of freedom of expression.
Arash Sigarchi,a blogger and daily newspaper editor,was sentenced to 14 years in jail on charges of "espionage and insulting the country's leaders." Another Iranian blogger,Mohammad Reza Nasab abdollahi,was given a six-month jail sentence,also for insulting the country's leaders.Blogger Mojtaba Saminnejad was rerested less than month later after his bail was doubled and he could not pay.Abdolahi's pregnant wife,Najmeh Omidparvar,also a blogger,was arrested March 2. "
The article continues on repression of bloggers in Malysia (Jeff Ooi, for criticizing Islam Hadar,a philosophy of Islam promoted by the Malysian prime minister). They also talk about bahraini officials ,detaining Bahrainonline moderators.
"officials can jail bloggers but can't stop the meme."
"meme"is a Term denoting an idea with a life of its own,proliferating the way genes do as they are passed from generation to generation.The perfect conduit of memes is blogosphere,where there is a will and the means to allow dissent-and other forms of free expression-to reverberate.