(Facilitator: Yezzi )
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will be held in Tunisia from 16th to 18th November 2005.
However :
A World Summit on the Information Society cannot have any concrete impact on the world community, if the main concern of such a Summit, which should be the human being, remains relegated to a simple accessory.
Experience showed that concerning information issues, top level international meetings have never led to positive measures to make public’s rights effective to get free access to information.
Dictatorships similar to that of the Tunisian General Ben Ali, use the information’s restrictions as a strategic pillar conscious that without restrictions their tyrannies would fail.
Continuous impunity of tyrants, who violate on a daily basis the right of their people to freedom of expression, shows that apart NGO, it is illusory to count on "democratic" governments to support the right of free access to independent information.
Finally, if there’s a stake in the World Summit on the Information Society, it should not only be about reducing the "digital gap ", but it should be about reducing the evil that corrode peace in the world which is the "democratic gap".
Therefore throughout the WSIS and in order to get the attention of the Tunisian and the International public opinion to the cruel absence of freedom of expression and information in Tunisia, and the obvious incoherence between the principles of this world summit and its hosting by the violent and repressive Tunisian regime, a working group has been gathered under the sponsorship of the Tunisian Association for the promotion and defense of the Cyberspace (TAPD - Cyberspace) in order to launch the campaign :
"Freedom of Expression in Mourning !"
This campaign started, October 3, 2005, and will end with the closure of the World Summit on the Information Society.
Within the framework of this campaign, we will immediately start an initiative defined by the following actions :
Since we are physically unable to demonstrate within Tunisian public spaces, we will use the internet to organize permanent virtual demonstrations in order to express our total disapproval with the Tunisian dictatorial regime.
"Ben Ali, Fock !", "Ben Ali, Yezzi!"
Literally it means "Ben Ali, enough is enough !"(*) This expression in Tunisian dialect intends to transmit a clear message to the dictator in order to give up power, because we consider it is "enough". For us Tunisians, who are always banned from freely reaching independent information and who are violently forbidden from any peaceful demonstration ; this kind of demonstration is a new form of peaceful protest, (See the site www.yezzi.org)
We call all of those who adhere to this discontent to join this demonstration, and send their photographs indicating one of the slogans mentioned above or carrying their own heartfelt one, to the following address : manif@yezzi.org
- We call all Tunisian websites and blogs to defend freedom of expression on Internet and to resist governmental projects aiming to "regulate" the network by joining the "Blue Ribbon" campaign for freedom of expression and thus by inserting the "Blue Ribbon" logo on their Web pages (see the website of the TAPD - Cyberspace)
(*) It should be noted that the Tunisian expression "Fock" does not have any relationship with the English expression different by one letter.
By the Working Group
www.yezzi.org
contact@yezzi.orgGeographical Scope: International Added on 10-22-2005 Updated on 10-23-2005 |
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