Institutional development
Implacable adversaries: Arab governments and the internet
Arab governments losing their grip on freedom of expression
Authors:
E. Zelaky; S. Sami; D. Ziada
Publisher:
The Initiative for an Open Arab Internet, 2007
Arab governments have maintained a tradition of restricting freedom of expression using national security and religious morals as grounds for censorship, and the ‘war on terror’ has given them an excuse to further extend this. When it comes to the internet, restriction and censorship has taken the form of blocking websites and arresting bloggers. This report takes a detailed look at 18 Arab countries, providing an overview of how the governments in the Arab world deal with the internet. It also covers Arab bloggers who have succeeded, over a short period, to play an important role in revealing the conflict between oppression and freedom.
The report was based on field interviews with activists that have resorted to the web, in addition to an opinion poll prepared by Human Rights Information (HRInfo), and also referred to several human rights and press reports as well as communications between HRinfo and volunteers from across the Arab World.
The report finds that, although governments succeed in blocking many websites, this does not seem to stop new ones from springing up. Excuses used for blocking websites – such as their content being un-Islamic (where women’s and minority rights are being promoted) – lack substance, especially when the websites concerned are themselves Islamic in focus. In addition, arresting bloggers only seems to heighten their profile and encourage more young people (particularly in countries like Egypt) to take to blogging.
With international support from organisations like Reporters without Borders and Amnesty International as well as technical innovations which enable bloggers to increase their security, the report concludes that Arab governments will only further reveal their oppressive nature and illegitimate practices.
