Today is Bloggers Unite for Human Rights Day I looked at all the sites concerned with human rights such as this and the Committee to Protect Bloggers struck a chord. Not because I thought that it was a more serious issue than refugees or violence against women or even poverty.
What struck a chord with me is that whilst I sit here typing my random thoughts into my blogs, bloggers in other parts of the world are in fear of their lives. Whilst the worst that can happen to me is a nasty comment in the comments box (that I can delete) they are in fear of being imprisoned or worse.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: everyone has a right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.
There were many badges to mark this day but I chose the one above as freedom of speech is important to me - though perhaps it would have been more fitting if her fingers had been taped as well.
1 comment:
Fascinating - I hadn't see the bloggers' protection site before. The case studies are frightening, and bloggers so brave. As you rightly say - how luck we are that we can say what like without fear of anything worse than a few abusive (removable) comments from those who don't agree with us. Thank you for highlighting this relatively new addition to the catalogue of worldwide human rights abuses.
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