Arrests of bloggers on the rise

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

The World Information Access Project at the University of Washington released a report that identified 64 bloggers, unaffiliated with news organizations, who had been arrested for the contents of their blogs between 2003 and 2008.

The growing number of such blogger arrests underscores the political importance of blogging around the world. WIA concludes:

After surveying our data, we predict that the number of blogger arrests will rise in 2008. The popularity of online blogs continues to grow and inspire more media coverage of arrest incidents. Countries are enforcing greater Internet regulation, which will only increase with the elections in China, Pakistan, Iran and the United States this year.

Trendsspotting blog reports "Blogs are a mainstream media world-wide and a collective rival to traditional media." So are you surprised if Iran considers a law to murder bloggers? Or if China arrests political blogger and co-founder of China’s Netizen Party Guo Quan? —apurba

Swivel


It is not known if bimal , the blogger who used to run maoistresistance and was arrested and
held in custody for 24 hours has been included in this list.
Blogger arrested in Kerala