Winners of the best blogs defending freedom of expression announced
Reporters Without Borders has announced the winners of its competition to highlight the best blogs globally that defend freedom of expression.
60 blogs were shortlisted for the award and the organisation then asked Internet-users to vote for the prize-winners – one in each geographical category. The winners provide a diverse variety of blogs from around the globe and I encourage Blog Herald readers to support them all.
The winners are
ASIA
Screenshots
Country: Malaysia
Language: English
An extremely popular blog that takes an independent approach to Malaysian politics and society. Its editor, Jeff Ooi, was threatened with imprisonment, at the beginning of October 2004, because he allowed on his blog a comment “insulting Islam”.
AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST
Joint winners
Shared Pains
Country: Afghanistan
Language: Farsi
A blog commenting on Afghanistan’s political and social life with a forthrightness rarely found in this country.
and
Al Jinane
Country: Morocco
Language: French
A blog run by a Moroccan trying to “understand the complexity of the world”.
EUROPE
ICT lex
Country: Italy
Language: Italian
A blog on Internet law and new technologies
AMERICAS
Press Think
Country: United States
Language: English
A blog run by an American journalist dealing with the media and free expression in the age of the Internet
IRAN
Mojtaba Saminejad
Country: Iran
Language: Farsi
A weblog that earned its editor, Mojtaba Saminejad, a two year prison sentence in June 2005
In a demonstration of solidarity the 10 webloggers named here, who were also nominated for a prize, all voted for Mojtaba. They were: Nikahang, Shabah, Mithras, Khorshidkhanoom, Z8un, Memarian, Ghaja, Webnaameh, Shabnamefekr, Shargi.
INTERNATIONAL
Netzpolitik
Country: Germany
Language: German
A blog dealing with open source technologies, Internet-users’ rights and free expression in cyberspace.
(editors note: as a rule I always run RSF media releases with little editing, freedom of speech is one of the most noble of aspirations and as bloggers we exercise a freedom every day that others are unable to: by point of referal though this release was received my email)