A project of Global Voices Online, we seek to build a global anti-censorship network of bloggers and online activists dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and free access to information online.. read more »
I am a writer, blogger, activist, and obsessive traveler based in Boston. I am the Project Coordinator for OpenNet Initiative and cover Morocco for Global Voices Online. I blog here.
In a clear instance of vexatious litigation, a Turkish court has blocked the Web site of prominent evolutionist Richard Dawkins following complaints from Islamic creationist and author Adnan Oktar. Oktar, who writes under the nom de plume Harun Yahya, filed the complaint last week; when Turkish Internet users now attempt to access Dawkins’ site, they are presented with a message that reads: ‘access to this site has been suspended in accordance with a court decision’.
read full post »Less than a year ago, Global Voices noted Morocco as the “liveliest free speech zone in Muslim North Africa.” It would not be a stretch to say that Morocco ranks among the best for free speech in the entire Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region.
And yet, journalists are all too frequently fined or arrested, and [...]
This morning, it was reported by the electronic news site Hespress [ar] that blogger Mohammed Raji was arrested in his home in Agadir. An article that Raji had posted on Hespress [ar] is said to be the source of the conflict, though neither that fact nor Raji’s arrest have been confirmed outside of the blogosphere. This afternoon it was reported that Raji had already been tried and sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of MAD 5,000.
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The first day of the Global Voices 2008 Summit in Budapest, Hungary was a wild success, as far as we can see (obviously we can’t know all of the implications this early in the game). The morning started with an introduction from Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon,
read full post »Fouad Mourtada probably never guessed he’d become a household name. Arrested on February 5 and sentenced on February 22 to three years in prison (plus a $1,000 fine) for creating a Facebook profile impersonating Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid, Mourtada is now famous, but unfortunately, that fame has come at an enormous price.
Bloggers in Morocco immediately [...]
Is creating a Facebook profile of a famous entity a crime? Although it’s been done to nearly every major celebrity (a quick search for “George W. Bush” garners over 500 results), when Fouad Mourtada chose to mimic Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, he was committing a serious crime.
As Sami Ben Gharbia reported on Global [...]
2006 was a rough year for Moroccan internet freedoms, with several sites being blocked; 2007 wasn’t much better with sites that were previously open becoming only sporadically accessible.
Moi, dans tous mes états (fr) summarized freedom of internet (as well as other forms of media) in a recent post:
A l’heure des podcasts et autres émissions sur [...]
Our creative guide to using blogs as a advocacy tools for social and political change.
A gallery of screenshots of blockpages from national filtering systems, and Internet service providers.
The Advocacy 2.0 Guide describes some of the best techniques and tools that digital activists can use as part of their online advocacy campaigns.
Step-by-step guidance on blogging while protecting your privacy, for personal safety.
Mapping the online censorship and anti-censorship efforts related to the social web and major web 2.0 websites.
A free software to scan a large number of URLs to determine which ones your country has blocked.
Global Voices Advocacy is a Global Voices Online project charitably supported by Hivos.
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