International Law

CNN reports on an important virtual protest against internet censorship:

Fifteen countries were named as "Internet enemies" on Wednesday as press freedom campaigners called on Web users to join a 24-hour virtual protest condemning cyber-censorship.

The online demonstrations in virtual locations including China's Tiananmen Square, Cuba's Revolution Square and North Korea's Kim Jong Il Square were taking place to mark the first Online Free Expression Day, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) said in a statement.

"We are giving all Internet users the opportunity to demonstrate in places were protests are not normally possible," the statement said.

"At least 62 cyber-dissidents are currently imprisoned worldwide, while more than 2,600 Web sites, blogs or discussions forums were closed or made inaccessible in 2007."

As well as China, Cuba and North Korea, the list highlighted 12 other countries where Internet freedoms are restricted: Belarus, Myanmar, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

A further 11 countries were named as "countries under watch:" Bahrain, Eritrea, Gambia, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The report also criticized Western companies for cooperating in cyber-repression, citing the case of U.S. company Yahoo! providing information to Chinese censors which resulted in a journalist, Shi Tao, being jailed for 10 years.

Read more here.  Ars Technica also reported on a disappointing aspect of the protest:

Reporters Without Borders today organized the Online Free Expression Day, including a virtual Internet protest against censorship, but the group is incensed that a UN organization yesterday backed out of supporting the event.

UNESCO, the UN agency in charge of scientific and cultural education, was to have sponsored the protest, but let Reporters Without Borders know yesterday that it had changed its mind. "We are not fooled," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement today. "Several governments on today's updated list of 15 'Internet Enemies' put direct pressure on the Office of the UNESCO Director General, and deputy director general Marcio Barbosa caved in. UNESCO's reputation has not been enhanced by this episode. It has behaved with great cowardice at a time when the governments that got it to stage a U-turn continue to imprison dozens of Internet users."

Read more here.