By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 9 -- The
attack on
Ethiopia's
Zone 9
bloggers,
which Inner
City Press covered
in late April,
has spread to
US-based
Twitter, which
has suspended
the bloggers'
accounts.
As one
example:
Nesnail
Feleke, pictured
here with US Secretary
of State John
Kerry, has
had his
Twitter
account @EthioLiberty
"suspended."
The same is true
for Tesfalem
Waldyes, whose
@tesfalemw
has been
"suspended."
After Kerry
visited Addis,
new State
Department
human rights
official Tom
Malinowski tweeted
that Kerry "raised
the case of
blogger
Natnail Feleke
who with 8 of
his peers was
imprisoned
last week."
Okay
- now that
US-based Twitter
has suspended
Natnail
Feleke's account,
what will
Malinowski and
Kerry do? Did
Twitter give
in to Ethiopia,
as it has been
doing in Turkey,
where Ergodan
has also
claimed it
have
"copyrights"
his own leaked
phone calls?
This recalls an
anti-Press
complaint to
the UN now
being banned
from Search by
Google under a
spurious
US Digital
Millennium
Copyright Act
complaint,
here. In
the UN itself,
a request has
been made to have
UNTV censor
even cut-aways
of opponents,
click here for
that. The
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
is asking the
UN and
countries'
diplomats at
the UN about
all this.
After Ethiopia
conducted a
sweep and
arrest of
journalists
including
Tesfalem
Woldeyes and six bloggers from the Zone 9
collective,
that the US
had
highlighted
bloggers in
Russia and
Vietnam on
April 25 was
raised.
US Assistant
Secretary of
State
Malinowsi on
April 25 spoke
about the US
defending
bloggers; the
examples he
gave were in
Russia and
Vietnam: "Dieu
Cay," Ta Phong
Tan and Phan
Thanh
Hai.
Later on April
26, Malinowsky
said, "Alarmed
by Ethiopia's
detention of 6
bloggers &
2 journos
yesterday.
Violating
freedom of
expression is
a sign of
insecurity,
not strength."
As press
freedom
seasons heats
up, some were
surprised not
only by this
brief filed in
the Supreme
Court but
also by this
week's US
announcement
of renewed
military aid
to Egypt,
including 10
Apache
helicopters. Isn't
Egypt the
country with
journalists
including but
not limited to
those of Al
Jazeera
locked up?
After
questions, the
State
Department clarified the
specifics of
aid to Egypt
on April 24:
"The
Egypt
bilateral
foreign
assistance
budget for
FY2014 is
approximately
$1.5 billion
and includes
$1.3 billion
in Foreign
Military
Financing
(FMF) – $200
million in
Economic
Support Funds;
and over $7
million for
other security
assistance
programs,
including
International
Military
Education and
Training,
International
Narcotics
Control and
Law
Enforcement,
and
Nonproliferation,
Antiterrorism,
Demining and
Related
Programs. The
$650 million
from FY2014
FMF will be
the first of
this funding
to move
forward,
pending
Congressional
notification
and approval."
The
next day new
US Assistant
Secretary of
State for
Democracy,
Human Rights,
and Labor Tom
Malinowski was
asked about
the detained
Al Jazeera
journalists.
He replied
that
withholding of
one additional
certification
is in part due
to the Al
Jazeera case,
and therefore
the case has
consequences.
But
here is how US
Pentagon Press
Secretary Rear
Adm. John
Kirby
explained the
certification:
Secretary
Hagel
told General
Sobhy that we
are not yet
able to
certify that
Egypt is
taking steps
to support a
democratic
transition,
and he urged
the Egyptian
government to
demonstrate
progress on a
more inclusive
transition
that respects
the human
rights and
fundamental
freedoms of
all Egyptians.
Secretary
Hagel
also informed
Minister Sobhy
of President
Obama's
decision to
deliver ten
Apache
helicopters in
support of
Egypt’s
counterterrorism
operations in
the Sinai. The
secretary
noted that we
believe these
new
helicopters
will help the
Egyptian
government
counter
extremists who
threaten U.S.,
Egyptian, and
Israeli
security.
While
some say "safe
and free," the
above shows
the
relationship
between "U.S.,
Egyptian, and
Israeli
security" and
the freedom of
the press
issues at
stake in
Egypt. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
Outright
censorship
as well as
freedom of the
press issues
have arisen at
the UN with
respect to
Voice of
America,
on whose
Broadcasting
Board of
Governors John
Kerry serves.
Freedom of
Information
Act requests
have been
filed with the
BBG - and with the State
Department,
including with
regard to South
Sudan and
the US
Atrocities
Prevention
Board. The
issues are
being pursued
by the new Free UN Coalition for Access. Watch
this site.
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