15 Nov 10 | Middle East and North Africa, Uncategorized
Waleed Al-Husseini has been making waves and offending religious sensibilities in the Middle East for years. A committed atheist, the 26 year-old resident of the occupied West Bank is known for a prolific online presence — much of which centres on criticisms of all major religions.
Here’s a good example of his writing from his blog The Light of Reason. The headline loosely translates as “The personification of God and the lack of logic in his creation of the universe.” Al-Husseini even created a Facebook page claiming to speak in the name of God, and used his excellent command of Arabic to write altered versions of verses from the Koran.
So perhaps it was no surprise that Al-Husseini’s work infuriated both Muslims and Christians, and only a matter time before he ran afoul of the authorities. He disappeared at the end of October, and finally last week came the official confirmation that Al-Husseini had been arrested. Palestine’s semi-official Maan News Agency reported that security services had “pursued the man for more than two months” before catching up with him in an internet cafe in the West Bank of Qualqiya.
Numerous online defences of Al-Husseini have sprung up, in Arabic and English, demanding his release, and lobbying foreign governments to offer him asylum. Prominent regional blogger Marwa Rakha, who has met Al-Husseini, issued a passionate defence of his right to express himself regardless of whether anyone agrees or disagrees with his beliefs, writing
Waleed did not record his ideas on tapes and force you to listen to them in public transportation… Waleed did not stop you in the street for wearing a veil or for having a beard and force-feed you his arguments. Why are you afraid of him? Is your faith that fragile? Are your religious beliefs that vulnerable?
04 Nov 10 | Uncategorized
On 29 October, journalist José Alejandro Godoy, became the first blogger in Peru to be convicted on defamation charges. Judge Flor La Rosa sentenced the author of political blog Desde el Tercer Piso (From the Third Floor) to a three-year suspended prison sentence, a fine of 300,000 soles (£65,000), and 120 days of social work. His crime? Ironically referring to a powerful politician as a “political jewel”.
Jorge Mufarech — a minister during Alberto Fujimori’s government (1990-2000) — initially launched legal action against Godoy in August 2009, after the blogger published an article that included links to criminal allegations levelled against Mufarech by other media sources. The article reported accusations that he had threatened another politician, Julio Arzibu. The controversial links appeared only in the first paragraph of the piece, and Godoy claims were included simply to contextualise the piece.
Godoy allowed Mufarech right of reply, publishing a letter from the former congressman and his own subsequent response, which explained why he thought the links were justified. But despite this, the politician claimed one million dollars in compensation for defamation.
Godoy had merely referred to Mufarech’s public past, so it came as a surprise when Flor La Rosa, in reference to the “political jewel” remarks, condemned the journalist for a “systematic campaign of defamation”. A completely different legal argument to that originally brought by the politician. It is hard to imagine what the ruling would be if Godoy had called Mufarech something really insulting.
It is worth noting that the judge is affiliated to APRA (American Popular Revolutionary Alliance), the political party at the head of the Peruvian government and Desde el Tercer Piso is well-known for its government criticism. Godoy will of course appeal the court’s decision. His lawyer, Roberto Pereira, has said that the lack of legal substantiation and the excessive nature of the sentence constitute a blow against press freedom, unprecedented in the country’s history.
Peru is holding elections in April 2011. This case represents a danger to free expression at a time when it is more important than ever. In the words of José Alejandro Godoy, “everyone, not only me, could be a victim of an absurd ruling like this one.” Mufarech has a history of defamation complaints — Susana Villarán, who is likely to be the next mayor of Lima, is currently under investigation — but this is the first defamation case Mufarech has won. So who will be next, Mr Mufarech?
Angel Garcia Catala works for free expression monitor Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS)
04 Nov 10 | Uncategorized
The tight-knit world of Middle East bloggers and electronic activists is rallying forcefully around the case of Ali Abdulemam, a prominent Bahraini blogger and online activist, who was arrested in September as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on human rights activists and representatives of the country’s disenfranchised Shia Muslim majority.
The Shia activists are charged with being part of a “sophisticated terrorist network” aiming to overthrow the government, but the exact charges against Abdulemam are murkier and harder to unravel. He is charged with “spreading false news” through his popular portal, Bahrainonline.org.
A married father of three and an IT consultant by day, Adbulemam has become a fixture over the past decade in forums and conferences dedicated to Arab digital activism and online freedom. He is regarded as one of the region’s web pioneers, and is described by one of his defenders as “driven by his passion for effecting change” in Bahrain and the wider Arab world.
In 2002 Abdulemam made waves by abandoning a pseudonym and publishing under his own name. Three years later he was jailed for charges that included fomenting hatred of the government. He later told the Wall Street Journal, “I believed you could speak and not go to jail.”
His latest trial started last week under heavy security and tight restrictions on local journalists covering the proceedings. A vibrant online campaign has sprung up in his defence.
Abdulemam is a Shia Muslim, described by friends as generally secular. An estimated 70 per cent of Bahrain’s 530,000 citizens are Shias, but the country is completely controlled by its Sunni royal family. The tiny island kingdom remains a close ally of the USA and serves as a host and staging point for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. As a result, it has been given a largely free hand to roll back democratic freedoms that once set it apart from other Persian Gulf nations.
In parliamentary elections last week, Shias held onto their bloc of 18 seats in the 40-member chamber but are not expected to gain enough allies for a majority. And even if they did, control of the largely powerless assembly would be purely symbolic, and would do little to change the way the country works.
22 Feb 10 | Uncategorized
Interesting story developing in the US. We’re trying to get confirmation from WordPress but it looks like the bloggers platform has again buckled under the threat of legal action, its taken down a science student’s blog after receiving complaints from an American quack.
Until recently, Michael Hawkins a University of Maine student ran a blog called For the sake of science. Hawkins tone could be at best described as intemperate, that said his opposition would raise anyone’s ire.
Hawkins wrote a series of blogs about Andreas Moritz, a new-age guru who describes himself as a “medical intuitive; a practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; a writer; and an artist”. Moritz’s 11 books include one entitled “Cancer is not a Disease – It’s a Survival Mechanism”, just the kind of publication likely to bring you to the attention of an angry young scientist.
Now part of me thinks anyone foolish enough to heed Chemotherapy advice (apparently it kills you) from a man who not only resembles Jocelyn Wildenstein but who also peddles Magic Dust Facial Rejuvenator really deserves what they get but Hawkins set out to save them in an unrestrained manner with posts with titles such as “Andreas Moritz is a stupid, dangerous man”.
Moritz reminds me of Matthias Rath, the vitamin campaigner who attempted to sue the Ben Goldacre and the Guardian after they claimed Rath “aggressively sells his message to Aids victims in South Africa that Rath vitamin pills are better than medication” but lets face it, using the law to silence scientist critical of your work is a well-trodden path in the quackosphere (Simon Singh’s appeal against the British Chiropractic Association comes up tomorrow).
Richard Dawkins was fantastic on this issue at a Lib Dem conference last year. Dawkins argued that UK libel laws damage science. He contended
Of course there must be redress if you are maliciously attacked in a way that damages you. But if such a law is cast too wide it has disastrous consequences on the public interest, not least in the area of science and medicine where the stakes are high, profits and reputations are guarded jealously, and the vulnerable need to be protected from unproven or fraudulent claims for cures, whether by “alternative” therapists or big pharmaceuticals.
It seems unlikely that WordPress will reverse their decision, so we can only hope that Moritz feels the full wrath of the Streisand effect.
I leave you with Moritz’s entertainingly bizarre defence on his actions, courtesy of Science blog.
Michael Hawkins,
You may blame me for having your blog pulled. WorldPress had to remove your blog because otherwise it would have faced a hefty lawsuit, given the nature of the defamation campaign you had launched against me, and having positioned your blog link second place on the search engines.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Andreas+Moritz&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
I have not yet decided whether to sue you for defamation. I have asked my attorneys to assess the damages your defamation campaign has done to my work, business, and reputation since your blog has been up. I know that they are significant, but if they turn out to be an excessive loss of revenue and reputation and/or if I see any more defaming publications by you or your blog friends against me or Dr. Makoney, I will not hesitate to launch an expensive lawsuit against you that you will not forget for a long time. I have collected all the data of your blogs and publications involving me. Your last email to Dr. Makoney clearly shows that you are instigating a new defamation campaign, at least against him.
My investigations show me where you live and where you study (Augusta, Amine), and if I hear or see any further activities that involve me or Dr. Makoney you will need to hire a good attorney to defend your slanderous actions and campaigns.
My close friend, Dr Deepak Chopra, who in addition to Dr Makoney and myself have been viciously attacked by your friend, the fish zoologist, PZ Myers, are considering a lawsuit against him. Slander is slander, whether it is done online or offline. If your friend is wise, he will immediately remove those blogs from his site.
Just in case you are not aware of it, below are stated the laws that protect people like me against people like you.
Sincerely,
Andreas Moritz
READ WordPress removes blog after libel
allegation
WordPress versus bloggers
