As of June 2003, 50 web users are in prison, three quarters of them in China. Ironically the country is currently experiencing an explosion in web use, with the total number of sites doubling every six months.
The report, which surveyed 60 countries, said that while the number of web users was rising dramatically, 'the authorities seem to be matching this expansion with a variety of tools to repress free expression, including jail sentences, internet café closure and the periodic blocking of sites deemed "subversive"'.
Vietnam was following close behind its neighbour, monitoring many people's email, blocking access to sites and arresting users, the report said.
One local writer, Pham Hong Son, was sentenced on 18 June to 13 years in prison for circulating articles promoting democracy and human rights on the Internet. He was accused of trying to 'start a campaign [aimed] at slandering the Vietnamese government'.
In Tunisia, 35-year-old Zouhair Yahyaoui is serving a two-year prison term for allegedly posting 'false news' on his site, TUNeZINE.com. Arrested on 4 June 2002 and tortured while in detention, Yahyaoui had posted a letter to Tunisian president Ben Ali. Written by Yahyaoui's uncle, a judge, the letter criticised the government for the its lack of judicial independence.
Zouhair's website also featured sarcastic humour, and has become popular with many of the country's young web users. He has staged three hunger strikes in protest against his case.
Last week he was awarded the inaugural RSF-GlobeNet Cyber-Freedom Prize in honour of his efforts to defend online free expression. His fiancée accepted the 7,600 Euro prize in Paris on his behalf.
Human Rights Watch is urging people to visit the following sites and write letters to the respective governments urging the prisoners' release.
For Yahyaoui: http://www.hrw.org/advocacy/internet/dissidents/2.htm
For Pham Hong Son: http://www.hrw.org/advocacy/internet/dissidents/6.htm
The RSF report can be viewed at:
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=378
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