Two Vietnamese bloggers are facing 10 and 12 years prison for publishing articles on the Internet. In September 2012, Ta Phong Tan and Nguyen Van Hai were convicted under the Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code for ‘conducting propaganda’ against the government.
By Summer Hirst | 05 September 2014
Turkey is hosting the Internet Governance Forum that discusses topics such as human rights. This is hypocritical as 29 Twitter users who posted tweets during last year’s protests are being prosecuted in the country.
- Photo: Cyprus Mail
Amnesty International said that the Turkish government’s decision to prosecute Twitter users is a deceitful stance, especially since Turkey is hosting the forum. The organization exhorted future hosts of the forum to set a much better example, while also drawing attention to the gross violations of human rights and Internet freedom by governments in the US, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.
The Internet Governance Forum is being held in Turkey from September 2 to September 5. Its purpose is to bring together governments, civilians, and activists to discuss the best practices on human rights, Internet regulation, and security.
Turkey isn’t the only country that has been trying to police the Internet. At the forum, Amnesty International will also highlight four other countries that have prosecuted people for expressing their opinion online.
Seven bloggers in Ethiopia are facing capital punishment for sharing data about Internet security. In Vietnam, two people are serving a prison sentence for writing about the violation of human rights in the country. Vietnam has also detained 32 other people on the same charges. A Saudi Arabian who founded a website has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years, and a fine of $266,630 for ‘insulting Islam’.
Amnesty International insists that these sentences should be revoked. The human rights watchdog has also asked governments to learn to tolerate online criticism and activism.
The Internet has revolutionized the way we access information. This has resulted in greater accountability and transparency. However, governments all over the world have been abusing their power to crack down on the freedom of expression. They conduct mass surveillance programs and censor data on gross human rights violations.
Whistle blowers who expose these human rights violations are being targeted as well. Edward Snowden, who is in exile in Russia, faces up to 30 years in prison if he is extradited to the US for exposing the indiscriminate Internet surveillance conducted by the intelligence agencies in the US and the UK. While it is true that the Internet has facilitated free expression, it also allows countries to spy on their people. Here are the cases and their background stories.
Vietnam
Two Vietnamese bloggers are facing 10 and 12 years prison for publishing articles on the Internet. In September 2012, Ta Phong Tan and Nguyen Van Hai were convicted under the Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code for ‘conducting propaganda’ against the government.
They had written about human rights violations, national sovereignty, and social injustice. They were among the journalists who founded the Free Journalists Club. In Vietnam, the government controls the media. The Free Journalists Club was founded as an alternative solution to bring truth to light. Their articles and activism inspired a new generation of journalists who demanded greater accountability, transparency, and freedom of online expression. The Vietnamese government has been misusing Article 88 for detaining, prosecuting, and imprisoning political, religious, and social activists including bloggers.
USA
When NSA subcontractor Edward Snowden revealed documents that show the existence of surveillance programs organized by NSA and GCHQ in May 2013, it shocked the world. His revelations have proved beyond doubt that NSA and GCHQ spy on the almost all digital communications systems in the world and interfere with individuals’ right to privacy. US officials have labeled him a traitor. If Snowden returns to the US, he may get 30 years in prison.
Turkey
The 29 Twitter users, who are being tried in Izmir, Turkey, face up to three years in prison for posting tweets during last year’s civilian protests against the government. The Turkish authorities claim that those tweets were meant to ‘incite the general public to break the law’. The tweets didn’t really incite violence, but contained passwords for wireless networks in areas affected by the protests.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is another country that has invested heavily in tools that suppress the freedom of expression on the Internet. The government has forced numerous activists to close their accounts. And in mid-2013, Saudi Arabia even attempted to ban encrypted social networking apps such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, and Line.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has time and again used its flawed Anti-Terrorism Law to silence people who raise their voice against the human rights violations in the country. In July 2014, three independent journalists and seven members of the ‘Zone 9′ blogging collective were charged with terrorism and ‘Outrages against the Constitution’ in Ethiopia. These bloggers and journalists have been in prison since then. The charges against the group included participating in training programs that taught people how to encrypt online messages.
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September 6, 2014
‘Hypocrite’ Turkey Holds Internet Governance Forum While Twitter Users Face Trial
by HR Defender • [Human Rights], Nguyen Van Hai (Dieu Cay), Ta Phong Tan
By Summer Hirst | 05 September 2014
Turkey is hosting the Internet Governance Forum that discusses topics such as human rights. This is hypocritical as 29 Twitter users who posted tweets during last year’s protests are being prosecuted in the country.
Amnesty International said that the Turkish government’s decision to prosecute Twitter users is a deceitful stance, especially since Turkey is hosting the forum. The organization exhorted future hosts of the forum to set a much better example, while also drawing attention to the gross violations of human rights and Internet freedom by governments in the US, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.
The Internet Governance Forum is being held in Turkey from September 2 to September 5. Its purpose is to bring together governments, civilians, and activists to discuss the best practices on human rights, Internet regulation, and security.
Turkey isn’t the only country that has been trying to police the Internet. At the forum, Amnesty International will also highlight four other countries that have prosecuted people for expressing their opinion online.
Seven bloggers in Ethiopia are facing capital punishment for sharing data about Internet security. In Vietnam, two people are serving a prison sentence for writing about the violation of human rights in the country. Vietnam has also detained 32 other people on the same charges. A Saudi Arabian who founded a website has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years, and a fine of $266,630 for ‘insulting Islam’.
Amnesty International insists that these sentences should be revoked. The human rights watchdog has also asked governments to learn to tolerate online criticism and activism.
The Internet has revolutionized the way we access information. This has resulted in greater accountability and transparency. However, governments all over the world have been abusing their power to crack down on the freedom of expression. They conduct mass surveillance programs and censor data on gross human rights violations.
Whistle blowers who expose these human rights violations are being targeted as well. Edward Snowden, who is in exile in Russia, faces up to 30 years in prison if he is extradited to the US for exposing the indiscriminate Internet surveillance conducted by the intelligence agencies in the US and the UK. While it is true that the Internet has facilitated free expression, it also allows countries to spy on their people. Here are the cases and their background stories.
Vietnam
Two Vietnamese bloggers are facing 10 and 12 years prison for publishing articles on the Internet. In September 2012, Ta Phong Tan and Nguyen Van Hai were convicted under the Article 88 of Vietnam’s Penal Code for ‘conducting propaganda’ against the government.
They had written about human rights violations, national sovereignty, and social injustice. They were among the journalists who founded the Free Journalists Club. In Vietnam, the government controls the media. The Free Journalists Club was founded as an alternative solution to bring truth to light. Their articles and activism inspired a new generation of journalists who demanded greater accountability, transparency, and freedom of online expression. The Vietnamese government has been misusing Article 88 for detaining, prosecuting, and imprisoning political, religious, and social activists including bloggers.
USA
When NSA subcontractor Edward Snowden revealed documents that show the existence of surveillance programs organized by NSA and GCHQ in May 2013, it shocked the world. His revelations have proved beyond doubt that NSA and GCHQ spy on the almost all digital communications systems in the world and interfere with individuals’ right to privacy. US officials have labeled him a traitor. If Snowden returns to the US, he may get 30 years in prison.
Turkey
The 29 Twitter users, who are being tried in Izmir, Turkey, face up to three years in prison for posting tweets during last year’s civilian protests against the government. The Turkish authorities claim that those tweets were meant to ‘incite the general public to break the law’. The tweets didn’t really incite violence, but contained passwords for wireless networks in areas affected by the protests.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is another country that has invested heavily in tools that suppress the freedom of expression on the Internet. The government has forced numerous activists to close their accounts. And in mid-2013, Saudi Arabia even attempted to ban encrypted social networking apps such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, and Line.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has time and again used its flawed Anti-Terrorism Law to silence people who raise their voice against the human rights violations in the country. In July 2014, three independent journalists and seven members of the ‘Zone 9′ blogging collective were charged with terrorism and ‘Outrages against the Constitution’ in Ethiopia. These bloggers and journalists have been in prison since then. The charges against the group included participating in training programs that taught people how to encrypt online messages.