The video-sharing Web site YouTube has suspended the account of a prominent Egyptian anti-torture activist who posted videos of what he said was brutal behaviour by some Egyptian policemen, the activist said. Read the rest.

Way to go YouTube!

Also relevant: Google reveals Blogger’s IP address:

Google’s settlement and subsequent handing over of a blogger’s IP address without being legally forced to has the potential to set a dangerous precedent for the thousands of bloggers reporting on controversial topics who previously felt protected that their ISP or blogging provider (such as Google) would fight to preserve their anonymity.

Hmm. I wonder if they’re going to pull a Yahoo and start handing out Gmail passwords of controversial activists/authors to the relevant authorities.

Banning WordPress is a clear violation of free speech that effects the citizens of Turkey, WordPress bloggers, and readers all over the world. Certainly these disputes can be handled more judiciously by the Turkish courts.

We, the undersigned, respectfully ask the Turkish authorities to reconsider the decision to block WordPress.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION!


Click and add this banner on the sidebar of your blog. Support free speech in Turkey.

We think that we can achieve many things if we start networks like these where we come together in order to fight towards a common cause.

Press freedom should be valued! Don’t be scared to express your opinions. Every time you reconsider posting or starting a blog due to fear, you should think of how many others you are silencing with you. Speak up, and speak loudly. We are here for you, and we support your right to free speech!

(Thanks to Siham for the video.)

inblogs.net/yourblogname or pkblogs.com/yourblogname

So if your blog address was http://mynameis.blogspot.com, you will now type in http://inblogs.net/mynameis or http://pkblogs.com/mynameis

Inblogs.net and Pkblogs.com were developed by tech savvy Indians and Pakistanis when the Blogger ban first came up in both countries.

If blogging services are also banned, there are a host of anonymizer websites that will allow you to post through it, for example KProxy and Anonymouse.

The Pakistani blog community launched a ‘Dont Block The Blog’ campaign when the blogger ban was first enforced, and asked all Blogger users to spread the word through banners and stickers. In the event that your country’s telecommunication or IT ministry has indeed blocked blogging services, it is advisable to contact all renowned news services such as BBC, Reuters, CNN, etc, which have in the past investigated and aired reports about such issues. One can also spread the word by sending press releases to tech websites such as Boing Boing.

Remember, no one can take your right away to express yourself, and certainly not some idiot in the government who thinks he can control the internet, which has emerged as the most powerful medium of the 21st century. Viva le revolution!

- Contact international news services and agencies. We recommend:

Do not just request for this information to be on the BBC News website, rather ask them to include it in the news agenda so it can be mentioned on the BBC World channel as well. Provide screenshots of your campaign, preferably with pictures of the subject in the banner, in order for it to appear on the news channel. Make yourself available for BBC Radio interviews both in English and Arabic (or Farsi, Urdu, French, depending on the case and location.)

Contact Al Jazeera by e-mail at first and request that your information be provided on their website. Ask them to write back if they have further questions or if they request an interview with the campaign’s co-founders and staff.

Sample letter:

To whoever it may concern,

I am writing to you requesting your urgent help concerning a recent case that took place in [Country]. [Blogger's Name], my [friend/colleague] has recently been arrested and we would greatly appreciate it if this can receive some coverage in your news hour, if only briefly! This is a serious case and is a violation of human rights in [Country,] and reporting it is very important so that the world is aware of what is going on. [Blogger's Name]’s only crime is freedom of expression, and no matter how much one may disagree with [Blogger's Name]’s writings or opinions, free speech should never be considered a punishable crime anywhere.

We have started a campaign to Free [Blogger's Name], which can be viewed on [website.] The campaign’s founder can be reached at:

Name: Your full name.
E-mail: Your e-mail address.
Phone #: Your phone number.
Fax #: Your fax number.
Website: Campaign’s website.

Please help us spread the word, and contact us for further information. We are available for media interviews.

Take a very brief video of you discussing the case and send it to Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post. They accept all formats, but .mpeg is preferable for ease and quality. Don’t just state what happened; ask for help! Remember to give the address of your campaign in the video or request that it appears on the bottom in order for people to know how they find your campaign.

[Here are their tips on how to start a video blog. You can scroll to the bottom of this page and "send it" using the links provided.] You may be required to register on YouSendIt in order to send the video file, but registration is free and easy. Direct the file to the following address:

listeningpost[at]aljazeera[dot]net (Note: Remember to replace the @ and . to the appropriate symbols, they were replaced initially in order to avoid spam.)

More networks to include in your contact list: