Sami Ben Gharbia

Latest posts by Sami Ben Gharbia

For Reporter Without Borders, “Press Freedom is the Price for Democracy”

  7 November 2009

“For you, access to information costs one click. In China, it would have cost a journalist seven years in jail”. This is the message you will currently find on the New York Times website as well as on USATODAY.com. Reporters Without Borders, an international organization advocating press freedom, defending journalists...

Tunisia: blogger Fatma Riahi arrested and could face criminal libel charge

  6 November 2009

update 1: November 6th, 2009 – Lawyer Ben Debba said fatma has been transferred to Bouchoucha police station and might be summoned to appear before a public prosecutor. update 2: November 7th, 2009 – Lawyer Ben Debba said that fatma has been released. On Monday, November 2nd, 2009, Tunisian blogger...

Introducing Threatened Voices

  3 November 2009

Today, Global Voices Advocacy is launching a new website called Threatened Voices to help track suppression of free speech online. It features a world map and an interactive timeline that help visualize the story of threats and arrests against bloggers worldwide, and it is a central platform to gather information from the most dedicated organisations and activists.

Vietnam: Blogger and democracy activist Tran Khai Thanh Thuy beaten and arrested

  23 October 2009

Vietnamese authorities have arrested another blogger after sending nine internet activists to prison on two to six years terms for expressing their views on the internet. Tran Khai Thanh Thuy was arrested on the evening of October 8, 2009 after the police sent plain-clothes officers to her house to harass her, her husband, and their 13-year-old daughte

Anonymous Blogging with WordPress and Tor guide in Persian

  17 October 2009

The Anonymous Blogging with Wordpress and Tor guide is now available in Persian thanks to this translation by an Iranian blogger and friend who wants to remain anonymous. The guide outlines several methods of protecting one’s identity in order to avoid retaliation and can considerably reduce the risks that a blogger’s identity will be linked to his or her online writings through technical means.

Anonymous Blogging with WordPress and Tor guide in Italian

  7 October 2009

The Anonymous Blogging with Wordpress and Tor guide is now available in Italian thanks to this translation by Jan Reister from Nazione Indiana blog. The guide outlines several methods of protecting one’s identity in order to avoid retaliation and can considerably reduce the risks that a blogger’s identity will be linked to his or her online writings through technical means

Yemen: Editor of an opposition website kidnapped

  21 September 2009

On the night of Friday, September 18th, 2009, the Yemeni Editor of the opposition Socialist Party's website, Al Eshteraki, Mohammed al Maqaleh has been kidnapped in the capital Sana'a by security forces. According to eyewitness reports cited by the International Federation of Journalists : five gun wielding masked men in...

Tunisia: Journalist and blogger Abdallah Zouari rearrested

  17 September 2009

Tunisian blogger and former political prisoner Abdallah Zouari has been arrested yesterday, 15 September 2009 by plainclothes agents in the southern city of Zarzis. During the 8 hours of arrest, blogger Abdallah Zouari was asked to disclose the passwords of his email accounts and interrogated about his most recent report...

Vietnamese Government Cracks Down On Bloggers

  9 September 2009

In response to the fast growing citizen journalist movement, the Vietnamese government launched a new entity (Administration Agency for Radio, Television and Electronics Information) and decree to restrict Internet freedom, censor private blogs, and compel information technology companies to cooperate with authorities.

Anonymous Blogging guide now available in Arabic

  6 September 2009

Download PDF The Anonymous Blogging with WordPress and Tor guide is now available in Arabic thanks to this translation by Yazan Badran and Mohammad Al abdallah. The guide outlines several methods of protecting one’s identity in order to avoid retaliation and can considerably reduce the risks that a blogger’s identity...

Moroccan blogger Hassan Barhon released

  1 August 2009

Moroccan blogger Hassan Barhon has been released on August 1st, 2009. He got a full royal pardon after spending 5 months in jail. Hassan Barhon was arrested on February 25th for exposing a corruption case involving the prosecutor-general for the king of Morocco at Tetouan’s court of appeals. He was...

Video Interview With Gaurav Mishra About Digital Activism and Social Media in India

  29 May 2009

In this video I interviewed, Gaurav Mishra, our colleague at Global Voices and the 2008-09 Yahoo! Fellow in International Values, Communications, Technology, and Global Internet at Georgetown University, about the role of social media and digital activism in India. From the right-wing Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena's Orkut Campaign to the more liberal Pink Chaddi Facebook Campaign, Gaurav explores in this interview how problems of religious conflicts are being reflected online, in a country where caste, class and religious divides remain very strong despite the secular nature of the state.

Tunisia: First Woman to Get Six Years Prison For Her Online Activities

  28 May 2009

On Thursday 14 May 2009, the 5th Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Tunis convicted the 22-year old ICT Student, Mariam Zouaghi, who was in custody, on separate terrorist-related charges, and sentenced her to six years in prison. Mariam Zouaghi is the first Tunisian woman to be convicted under The Anti-Terrorism Act of 10 December 2003.

Tunisia: Blogger's Home Raided, Laptop and CDs Robbed

  11 April 2009

The house of the Tunisian journalist and blogger Zied el-Heni has been raided last night (April 10, 2009). In a blog post published today, Zied wrote that his laptop and CDs which contain all his work have been robbed: "I am sorry to inform you that my house has been raided and robbed on April 10, 2009. They stole my laptop and CDs which contain the efforts of my work day and night...

Interview with Robert Guerra about the Freedom on the Net Index

  3 April 2009

A new report on Internet freedom was launched by Freedom House, an organization which monitors freedom around the world. The "Freedom on the Net" study surveyed 15 countries on the basis of two key components: access to Web and mobile technology and the free flow of information through it. The report covered events that took place in the years 2007 and 2008, identifying new emerging threats to Internet freedom.

Mauritania: Online Journalist Arrested, News Website Blocked and Journalists Sit-in Attacked

  17 March 2009

Update: 18 March 2009- Abbass Ould Brahim was released after being held for three days, and the Taqadoumy website was allowed to reopen 24 hours after the Nouakchott prosecutor’s office ordered its closure - Abbass Ould Braham, a Mauritanian online journalist was arrested this past Monday, 16 March 2009, for an article he published on Taqadoumy website. News of his arrest was reported by Taqadoumy.com and echoed by number of Mauritanian websites. Abbass's article "Deep into Mauritania: A Cross-Section of the new Mauritanian Regime" (in arabic) deals with the August 6 coup d'état, the Junta and the Mauritanian political system.