State Department Cartoon Highlights Online Censorship

Apr 102012
 

The US State Department has launched a cartoon,  Iran Connect, primarily aimed at highlighting online censorship in Iran but it is also alerting netizens in China and the middle east to its existence via Twitter.

It is not entirely clear why the cartoon has been produced. It aims to be dramatic and with the overtones of deep ominous music and stylized figures in monotones. The question is why? The information it provides could have been put as half a dozen bullet points and would have more chance of reaching an audience.

It is also a mystery why Iranians, Chinese or any other citizen in a repressive regime needs to be told the internet is censored, monitored and otherwise interfered with by the authorities. Anyone capable of viewing the cartoon will already know what is happening. It could well be the first in a series of informative cartoons the next being “Fire: extremely hot” followed by “Water, powerfully wet”.

The money would have been better spent on providing resources to groups who work to provide practical solutions to getting round the likes of the great fire wall rather than trying to knock out a 90 second epic with pretensions of Citizen Cane.

“The Internet In A Suitcase” U.S. Plan To Out Flank Repressive Regimes

Jun 222011
 

 

The United States is developing ways to allow citizens under repressive regimes to maintain free accesss to the internet and mobile phones

PCMag.com reports that the State Department-led project “involves the building of independent phone networks in foreign countries and the creation of a $2-million prototype “Internet in a suitcase” by an entrepreneurial outfit operating out of a building on L Street in Washington, D.C., The New York Times reported Monday.”

“The idea is to fit innocent-looking hardware components into a package that could easily be snuck into a repressive country and quickly assembled to deliver wireless service across a wide area to maintain crucial communications between legitimately protesting citizens, according to The Times, which cited “dozens of interviews, planning documents and classified diplomatic cables” it obtained.”

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Top Uyghur Activist Asks State Department To Do More For Human Rights

Mar 162010
 

Rebiya Kadeer, speaking at the State Department today as part of Women’s History Month asked Department officials redouble their efforts to push for greater  human rights for Uyghurs in China.

Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress, spoke on a wide range of topics (a full transcript is below) but concentrated on the issues facing Uyghur women in China today.

She  also highlighted the historical strength of  Uyghur women. She cited the resolve they have always shown in adversity and the roles they have played in fighting injustice through the centuries.

Currently the Muslim Uyghur’s are being attacked for their apparel. Kadeer said Chinese government officials were trying to prevent women from wearing head scarves. The officials reportedly said they were trying to usher in ”women of  a new era”.

There have  also been recent efforts to regulate the activities of women religious figures by bringing them under local party or government control.

Kadeer talked about the personal affects of the Governments policies towards the Uyghuys citing the detention of her two sons on political grounds. She says she has had virtually no news of them since their apprehension.

Kadeer who was once held up as a Uyghur role model by the Chinese Government because of her business successes is now a leading human rights and democracy advocate for her people.

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