Burma: A Prison State

The latest string of imprisonments in Burma has confirmed once more that the ruthless military dictatorship has gone way past the police state to enter the prison state.

A military court has sentenced nine pro-democracy activists to 65 years in prison each, bringing the total for the week to 70 people who have summarily been put in the country's already overcrowded prisons.

On Friday, journalist Ein Khaing Oo was sentenced to a two-year term for covering the protests last June against the government's dismal response to the humanitarian catastrophe triggered by a devastating cyclone.

The nine sentenced activists belong to the 88 Generation Student movement, named after the 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations that were crushed by a bloody campaign of repression by the military junta.

An August pro-Generation 88 demonstration in
front of the Burmese embassy in the Philippines.
(EPA photo)

Here's from the AP:

Also in the past week 14 other members of the Generation 88 Students group were sentenced to prison terms of 65 years each, and a labor activist, Su Su Nway, was sentenced to 12 1/2 years. Ten people allied with Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy got jail terms of eight to 24 years.

(...)

Many of the activists were involved in protests in September 2007 that led to huge pro-democracy demonstrations that the army put down by force. According to estimates from the United Nations, at least 31 people were killed and thousands of demonstrators were detained. Many fled the country or went underground.

Amnesty International and other international human rights groups say the junta holds more than 2,100 political prisoners, up sharply from nearly 1,200 in June 2007, before the pro-democracy demonstrations.

On Monday, blogger Nay Phone Latt was sentenced to 20 and a half years in prison after being found in possession of a banned video and poet Saw Wai to two years for writing a satire of the junta.

Perhaps the only force that can rattle the members of the ruling junta in their ivory towers would be a stern warning from their major enablers, the Chinese government. What are they waiting for?

We Like This: More Children Books for Free

What a concept! Making world literature available to millions of children free of charge.

That's what the International Children's Digital Library has been doing for quite some time. But now it has joined forces with Google to increase its vast collection of books.

How? Through Google's state-of-the-art scanning technology, which will add thousands of titles that will be searchable through Google's Book Search.

"This is great for ICDL as it helps further extend the reach of their exemplary collection of multi-lingual children's literature around the world," said Judith Hottensen, Publisher, Weinstein Books. "By doing so, publishers, authors and illustrators can better reach children, parents, and teachers in some of the most underserved parts of the globe. The ICDL is a truly noble cause."

Noble indeed. Knowledge is power and our kids have just gotten a big infusion of it. Bravo!

'Don't Worry, Trust Us'

The oldest trick in the censorship book: "We know better, leave it to us. Don't worry, just trust us."

That seems to be what this government agency is trying to do with a new standard that would free the Internet from "any images or text that otherwise would be harmful to teens and adolescents."

Would that be China's Propaganda Department? Or Saudi Arabia's Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice? Nope. This comes straight from the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Here is from The International Herald Tribune's Harry Lewis:

No one wants young children viewing pornography. But to enforce the FCC standard, someone would have to decide where the "harmful" line should be drawn.

What about medical illustrations, or a newspaper story about female genital mutilation in Africa?

To be safe for all ages, censors would have to exclude vast amounts of useful, lawful content. And since only 57 percent of Americans have broadband connections today, the censored service would for many people be the only service.

Determining which ideas are "harmful" is not the government's job. Parents should judge what information their children should see - and should expect that older children will, as they always have, find ways around restrictive rules.

Of course it is none of any government's business dictating what is harmful or what not. It's the parents' responsibility. The FCC's assumptions that the advent of the Internet has triggered a new wave of pedophiles and sexual predators on children are dead wrong.

More from Lewis:

There is no evidence that the Internet has increased the number of predators. Child sex abuse cases actually decreased 50 percent between 1990 and 2005. Most sexual propositions to youth come from peers, not adult strangers.

What this initiative would do is saving the village by destroying it.

For every child caught talking to a pedophile online, hundreds would be discouraged from searching the Internet's vast electronic library for truths their parents will not tell them.

Controlling every word children are saying and hearing, from birth to age 18, isn't child protection; it's the perfect preservation of prejudice and ignorance.

Moreover, Internet censorship does not work. Documents can get past content filters if they are sent in encrypted form - and if encryption itself were banned, the network could not support secure electronic commerce.

Countries like the US should restrain themselves when tempted to give other less socially advanced countries, such as China, any new suggestions to restrict the free flow of ideas. They already are the masters of that universe.

A Particularly Heinous Crime

The drug-related violence in Mexico has reached heart-breaking levels of intensity. But this specific case opens a new page in the book of cruelty.


(El Diario de Juárez photo)

This morning, journalist Armando Rodríguez (above), a reporter covering the Juarez drug cartels, was about to leave his home in his car to take his daughter to school.

Then a gunman came out of nowhere and shot him dead right next to her. Just like that. Apparently, Rodríguez knew too much about drug trafficking and crime and retribution. And today, in too many parts of Mexico, knowledge is a deadly cargo to carry around.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Rodríguez is the fifth journalist who has been murdered in Juarez this year. The other four are:

—Teresa Bautista Merino, La Voz que Rompe el Silencio, and Felicitas Martínez Sánchez, La Voz que Rompe el Silencio, April 7, 2008, Putla de Guerrero.

—Alejandro Zenón Fonseca Estrada, EXA FM, Sept. 24, 2008, Villahermosa.

—Miguel Angel Villagómez Valle, La Noticia de Michoacán, Oct. 10, 2008, between Lázaro Cárdenas and Zihuatanejo.

May all rest in peace and may Mexico once and for all find a way out of this horrible cycle of violence.

Saudis Enlisting UN Support for Toxic Blasphemy Law

(EPA photo)

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (above) took the podium during the current UN General Assembly to talk about the "Culture of Peace."

But he also came to New York City to enlist support for a far less altruistic cause, an international law to punish blasphemy.

The initiative, supported by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference, would authorize states to repress religious freedom not only in their country but anywhere around the world.

The initiative, endorsed last year in Spain by a gathering of the Muslim World League, comes under the guise of inoffensive-sounding phrases such as "respect of religions" to prevent "the derision of what people consider sacred."

Here is from The Christian Science Monitor:

The lofty-sounding principle is, in fact, a cleverly coded way of granting religious leaders the right to criminalize speech and activities that they deem to insult religion. Instead of promoting harmony, however, this effort will exacerbate divisions and intensify religious repression.

Such prohibitions have already been used in some countries to restrict discussion of individuals' freedom vis-à-vis the state, to prevent criticism of political figures or parties, to curb dissent from prevailing views and beliefs, and even to incite and to justify violence.

They undermine the standards codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the keystone of the United Nations, by granting greater rights to religions than to individuals, including those who choose to hold no faith – or who would seek to convert.

Blasphemy laws, we must keep in mind, are the ancient precursors of insult laws. Both tools of repression seek to keep the public at bay from the murky dealings of public, religious or corporate officials. Blasphemy and insult laws are powerful weapons of mass censorship that arbitrarily protect a very small minority from the fair competition and inquiries of the rest of society.

This particular example, the Saudi-sponsored campaign to promote worldwide-reaching blasphemy laws under the banner of freedom of religion, does carry an intense whiff of hypocrisy.

More from The Monitor:

Saudi Arabia is one of the world's worst abusers of religious freedom, a fact recognized by the Bush administration when it named it a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act in 2004. The king couldn't hold such a conference at home, where conservative clerics no doubt would purge the guest list of Jews from Israel, Baha'is, and Ahmadis.

The Saudi government permits the public practice of only one interpretation of Islam. This forces the 2-to-3 million Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and other expatriate workers there to leave their convictions at the border, since non-Muslim places of worship are prohibited, non-Muslim religious materials risk confiscation, and even private worship is affected by the strictures.

(...)

Women seeking to exercise basic freedoms of speech, movement, association, and equality before the law have experienced particularly severe abuse.

In a particularly egregious recent case, a woman was gang-raped as punishment by seven men who found her alone in a car with a man who was not her relative. She escaped the sentence of 200 lashes and six months in prison only because of a pardon by King Abdullah, yet he also said he believed the sentence was appropriate.

As Joergen Ejboel, chairman of the Danish publishing house JP-Politikens Hus, said during WPFC's latest Andersen-Ottaway Lecture in Washington, "It’s quite common these days to hear people say, 'of course I support free speech and the right to say what you want,' but in the hands of the autocrats this ‘but’ has become a very effective tool to curb free speech."

And he added, "Governments and all kinds of groups with their taboos can ally themselves with one another. If you respect my taboo, I’ll respect yours. If this continues long enough we will witness further limitations on speech, crimping free debate, creative journalism and exchange of information."

Words That Kill Press Freedom

Bringing the government into “disrepute”, creating “ethnic disharmony,” aiding and abetting “unknown persons”.

These are words that kill press freedom throughout the world. They can be used in dozens of countries by public, corporate or religious officials as shields to protect them from press inquiries or the curiosity of the public.

Countries such as Sri Lanka, where journalist JS Tissainayagam (above) has been in prison for 250 days following his indictment for allegedly violating the Prevention of Terrorism Act. His crime? Writing, publishing and distributing the North Eastern Monthly, a magazine critical of the government's military campaign.

Today, Article 19 and Index of Censorship called on the Sri Lankan government to release "Tissainayagam immediately and withdraw the politically motivated charges."

At a minimum, it should release him on bail and ensure a fair trial without delay. Tissainayagam should also be allowed unrestricted access to his family, a lawyer of his choice, any specialist medical treatment he may require, and access to foreign diplomatic delegations that may request to visit him.

Article 19 and Index on Censorship call upon all diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka to monitor the trial carefully and to request permission to visit Tissainayagam to confirm his wellbeing. In particular, we also call upon the governments of India, Japan, United Kingdom and the USA all of whom have a very close relationship with the Sri Lankan government, as well as international representatives in Brussels, Geneva and New York to convey their concern about this precedent in their communications with the Government of Sri Lanka.

1 US Dollar = 28.4 Quadrillion Zimbabwean Dollars

Perhaps this mind-boggling comparison can give us an idea of the enormity of the calamity that has befallen on the Zimbabwean people.

SW Radio Africa explains:

Analysts said the latest rapid weakening of the currency was being driven by SADC’s (Southern Africa Development Community) ruling on the impasse between [official] ZANU PF and the [opposition] MDC. A huge demand for hard currency has also contributed to this massive financial crash.

Prices of basic goods, most of which are now imported, have gone up sharply since the disputed March 29 election in which Mugabe’s ZANU-PF lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 28 years. The hyperinflation is now estimated at over a quintillion percent, although no one really knows.

(...)

Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us recently that purses and wallets have become redundant; people are now using shopping bags, suitcases, sacks and other large containers to carry cash. Bank tellers are hidden from view by huge piles of the increasingly worthless currency.

Nearly all businesses have stopped accepting cheques for payment – creating an absolute nightmare for everyone, because of the absurd cash withdrawal limits at the banks.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one taken in a Harare restroom is worth a few quadrillions.

(SW Radio Africa photo)

Somali Journalist Jailed for Doing His Job

The National Union of Somali Journlists (NUSOJ) is demanding the immediate release of freelance journalist Hadis Mohammed Hadis, who was arrested on Nov. 3 on charges of being a "threat to national security."

Hadis had been reported to the authorities after filming two bombings over the town of Hargeisa and talking on his phone after the attacks.

“Believing and arresting anybody with camera or was seen of filming such attack as someone that involves terrorist groups is intolerable” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “We demand Hadis Mohammed Hadis to be released immediately and unconditionally, unless he is to be charged with a recognizably offence before an independent court”.

Reporters without Borders rate Somalia as the 11th most dangerous country in the world for the practice of journalism.

For Every Freed Blogger, Another Is Put in Prison, It Seems

Yesterday we rejoiced at the news of the release from prison of Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

And today, we are hit with the outrageous sentence of Burmese blogger Nay Phone Latt, who was found guilty of "defaming the state" and sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison.

His crime? Back in January Latt was arrested in possession of a banned video. He had also written in his blog (http://www.nayphonelatt.net/) about the difficulties of young Burmese to express themselves in their own country.

Reporters without Borders and the Burma Media Association expressed their outrage at the so-called Burmese "justice system":

"The authorities have imposed an extraordinarily severe punishment on Nay Phone Latt just for using the Internet," the two organisations said. "This shocking sentence is meant to terrify those who go online in an attempt to elude the dictatorship’s ubiquitous control of news and information, and we call for his immediate release."

The very same judge sentenced poet Saw Wai to two years in prison for writing a poem critical of the head of the military junta, Gen. Than She.

"There is an urgent need now for bloggers all over the world to demonstrate their solidarity with Nay Phone Latt by posing his photo on their blogs and by writing to Burmese embassies worldwide to request his release. Similarly, we call on poets to defend their fellow-poet, Saw Wai, who has been jailed just because of one poem."

Our heart goes to the Burmese people, victims of one of the world's most brutal dictatorships.

Malaysian Court Frees Blogger Accused of 'Insult'

Another example of the corrosive power of insult laws throughout the world. But this time around, there is a happy ending.

A Malaysian court ruled unconstitutional the imprisonment of one of the country's most influential bloggers, Raja Petra Kamarudin, who was put in jail after some of his writings were deemed "insulting to Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad."

A member of the Malaysian opposition demonstrates
his support for Raja Petra while he was in prison (EPA photo).

In his articles, Raja Petra used sentences such as "Not all Arabs are descendants of the Prophet" and "I promise to be a good, non-hypocritical Muslim." He was also sentenced for "defaming" the Malysian government.

Here is from Amnesty International:

Speaking to reporters about his release, Raja Petra said, "I'm really glad it's over. I'm really tired. The judge's decision proves there is no justification for my detention. We have to fight all-out and get the Internal Security Act abolished."

Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy, of the high court in the state of Selangor, ruled that the Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar had acted beyond his powers in having Raja Petra arrested.

The Malaysian government continues to use or threatens to use the ISA against people whom they accuse of being threats to national security, including government critics and those allegedly involved in "terrorist-linked" activities.

The ISA allows the police to arrest individuals they believe have acted, or are "about to" or "likely to" act in a way that would threaten Malaysian security, "essential services" or "economic life" (Article 73 (1)b).

After an initial 60-day detention for "investigation", the ISA allows for detention without trial for up to two years renewable indefinitely, without the detainee being charged with a crime or tried in a court of law. More than 60 other people are still detained under the ISA without charge or trial.

Again, we must repeat this: Insult laws date back to the Roman Empire and were designed to protect the emperor from the criticism of the people. Today they play a major arbitrary role in too many countries, such as Malaysia, to shield public officials from news media inquiries and investigations.

Reporters in those countries, in fact, risk imprisonment, devastating fines or even physical punishment if these laws are invoked against them.