Paris-based Reporters Without Borders has issued a list of 13 countries it says are the most egregious censors of Internet speech. On the list are Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
According to the organization, these countries stifle online speech they deem subversive or threatening to the government, including sentencing to prison individuals accused of posting such material.
Reporters Without Borders also criticized Yahoo and other Internet companies for cooperating with the governments of these countries in identifying individuals targeted for prosecution. In the case of Jiang Lijun, a Chinese man sentenced to four years in prison for pro-democracy remarks, Reporters Without Borders said Yahoo’s assistance was key to Chinese authorities’ ability to identify him.
“It’s one thing to turn a blind eye to censorship,” said Lucie Morillon, a spokesperson with the organization. “It’s another thing to collaborate.”
Silicon Valley, 8 November 2006
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/15955567.htm
[PG Editor’s Comments In Brackets]
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