Al-Saqqaf announces resistance movement against web site blocking [Archives:2008/1126/Front Page]

SANA'A, Feb. 1 ) Yemenportal.net Editor Walid Al-Saqqaf has officially declared the start of a movement to resist web site blocking in Yemen as part of an internationally supported program that helps apply the experience (resistance movements) in other Arab nations.

As founder of the currently blocked web site, Al-Saqqaf stated, “Being handcuffed without being able to react to this irresponsible campaign against web sites is the primary reason for starting our resistance movement, considered the first of its kind in an Arab country.”

The phenomenon forced Yemeni web site representatives to hold the first meeting in Jan. 22 in Sana'a, sponsored by Yemenportal.net.

Al-Saqqaf labeled this blocking of web sites based on their political positions, their opinions or news stories they publish as “a shame upon the Yemeni regime.” According to him, this shame must be eliminated because it has harmed Yemen's reputation as a nation advocating respect for democracy and human rights.

“Blocking Yemenportal.net has added a regional and international dimension to the phenomenon, as numerous international organizations have denounced the procedure, demanding the Yemeni regime respect the commitments it has made in front of the international community regarding the right to obtain information and express oneself freely,” he noted.

Numerous international organizations, including the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders and the Arab Press Network, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, the Washington-based World Press Freedom Committee and PEN World Voices have deplored the Yemeni government's blocking of Yemenportal.net and other web sites.

Announced by Al-Saqqaf, the campaign will pressure the Yemeni government to cease blocking web sites in Yemen, thereby allowing Yemenis full access to all news sites.

According to the Yemenportal.net editor, the blocking of his site has contributed greatly to internationalizing this phenomenon of web site blocking in Yemen and letting the world know about the arbitrary and oppressive procedures its government is taking against news web sites, in particular.

“When the [Yemeni] government bans a news web site, this reflects that it is not credible and not serious about developing democracy in Yemen,” Al-Saqqaf observed, pointing out that the threats some web site editors face – including Salem Bamadouh, editor of the blocked Shabwapress.net – are another risky indicator necessitating the government defend such web sites instead of blocking them.

“Yemen's political leadership must understand that the time of blocking web sites and suppressing opinions is over. In order to enhance democracy and human rights, the [Yemeni] government must tolerate various viewpoints and let individuals express themselves without restriction, as this is one of the most important rights ensured by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Yemen has endorsed and marks annually,” Al-Saqqaf explained.

He continued, “Our resistance movement has its own web site with all of the news stories and opinion articles from the blocked web sites, which residents in Yemen may visit without any restrictions.”

Adennews.net, Adenpess.net, Shabwapress.net, Hadramoutnews.net, freeyemen.net and Yemenportal.net are just some of the sites whose content may be displayed via the movement's special link (http://blocked.arabiaportal.net/yemen).

Al-Saqqaf further urged all of those whose web sites have been blocked to contact him at his address [email protected] so their sites can be added to the accredited list of sites accessible by visitors within Yemen through the movement's link.

Additionally, the resistance movement has discovered a new mechanism allowing editors to reach their blocked sites and upload articles using complicated programs made just for this purpose, but only blocked web sites may upload articles.

Al-Saqqaf requested the editors of blocked web sites to stay in touch with him so they may determine the ideal resolution to this problem.

The Yemenportal.net editor praised the international support his project has received from various organizations worldwide, including Sweden's rebro University, which approved the portal as a scientific research tool contributing to an academic study of Yemeni electronic media.

Additionally, he thanked Swedish media for covering the blocking of his web site, which has prevented thousands of Yemenis and others inside the country from visiting the site's content and forum contributions numbering nearly a quarter of a million posts since May 2007.

As an alternative to his blocked site, Al-Saqqaf has launched http://yemen.arabiaportal.net, which readers within Yemen may access. Visitors to the site may register as new members in order to gain access to the latest developments related to the blocking, as well as learn about alternatives if web sites are blocked.

In an interview with the International Journalists' Network, Al-Saqqaf said earlier, “With the support of Yemeni and other regional and international web sites, the portal plans to initiate a long-term resistance movement against web site banning.

“We'll open a new domain and promote it by sending messages to its members and through other web sites. Thus, when the government closes one domain, a new domain will open and its address emailed to subscribers so they can update their bookmarks with the new domain.”

He added that what's even more exciting about this project is that the portal also will create a special section on its home page dedicated to all web sites banned in Yemen.

Al-Saqqaf regrets that the situation regarding press freedom in Yemen has deteriorated rapidly and sunk so deep that many journalists have lost hope, with many considering the 1994 Civil War between North and South Yemen as the turning point.

That war ended a coalition between two former regimes and resulted in a strong central government led by current President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who celebrates 30 years in power this year. The pessimism in this sense doesn't come from nowhere but rather from a series of broken promises by the regime regarding enhancing press freedom and opening up the Yemeni nation by ending imprisonments and the broadcast media monopoly.
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