LAUNCH OF ONLINE FREE EXPRESSION DAY PLUS REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S 24-HOUR ONLINE DEMO AGAINST INTERNET CENSORSHIP

LAUNCH OF ONLINE FREE EXPRESSION DAY PLUS REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S 24-HOUR ONLINE DEMO AGAINST INTERNET CENSORSHIP

Reporters Without Borders will launch the first International
Online Free Expression Day under UNESCO’s patronage on 12 March, when
it will also organise its second “24-hour online demo against Internet
censorship,” urging Internet users to come and demonstrate on its
website, http://www.rsf.org
.

A
total of 63 cyber-dissidents are currently in jail worldwide for using
their right to free expression on the Internet. China continues to be
the world’s biggest prison for online journalists and bloggers.


To denounce government censorship of the Internet and to demand more online freedom,
Reporters
Without Borders is calling on Internet users to come and protest in
online versions of the nine countries that are “Internet enemies”
during the 24 hours from 11 a.m. on 12 March to 11 a.m. on 13 March
(Paris time). Anyone with Internet access will be able to create an
avatar, choose a message for their banner and take part in one of the
nine cyber-demos (Burma, China, North Korea, Cyba, Egypt, Erithrea,
Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Viêt-nam).

Reporters Without Borders
will release its latest list of “Internet enemies” together with a new
version of its Handbook for Cyber-Dissidents.

When the first “24
hours against Internet censorship” was held last year, some 40,000
Internet users came and clicked on an inter-active map of the world to
help make the “Internet black holes” disappear. This time we can do
even more to make this new protest a success and to put pressure on the
governments that try to muzzle what should be space where people can
express their views freely.

This operation was devised and
produced by the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency. A campaign ad
is being circulated online calling on Internet users the world over to
come and take part in the 24-hour protest. All news media, websites and
blogs that would like to support this major operation are invited to
get in touch with Lilia Bouhdjar at +33 (0)1 4483-8456