Isam Bayazidi’s Blog

I wasn’t able to blog or access the internet much while I was in Tunis, so I will start in the next days blogging about the event, and the last days.

As soon as I was in the ICT4ALL Exhibition, I started to look for the societies and people I know. I met Ethan who introduced me to Hivos people in the event. As well I met Hossein Darakshan, and Isaac Mao whom I met in the Wikimania last August.

There I knew about a session that will take place on the 17th-18th Nov, titled “Expression under Repression”. It was a joint effort between Hivos and Global Voices. The seminar had some very interesting panel speakers, and discussions about freedom of expression and censorship on the internet.

Cases from Zimbabwe, China, Iran and Malaysia were introduced, giving a picture of the status of freedom and censorship in those countries as an example. There was supposed to be a blogger from one of the Arab countries present as well, but certain “censorship” efforts made it impossible. Read more in Ethan’s blog.

As well, Internet filtering and censorship was introduced, explaining the methods, technologies, and giving examples of sites censored in different arab and non-arab countries. After the session I tried to get more information about Internet censorship in Jordan, and basically they are aware of only one site that is censored from Jordan, which is a US-based e-newspaper that is almost censored in all arab countries, as it’s editor is known to be attacking all rulers and governments of the Arab world.

For me, attending this session was worth going to Tunis, I am glad that light is being shed on Freedom of expression in the internet, specially for bloggers.

Pictures:

Next: Wikimedia in WSIS

Blogging, Internet & Technology, Jordan, WSIS

OK, I got the Visa to Tunis this morning, got the brochure printouts for Wikimedia yesterday, packing my bags now, leaving in 4 hours to the airport. I really look forward for the event, and Tunis, I had been following some very interesting discussion about the event in the Global Voices mailing list. I will arrive around 1am to Tunis, won’t settle until 3-4 AM probably, yet I am looking forward to it. Beside the event, and Tunis, I am looking forward to meet the Tunisian bloggers, I really hope that it will be possible.

I will try to take as much pictures as I can, and see if I can continue posting from there. Until then, bon voyage to myself :)

About Me, WSIS, Wikimedia

I’ve been trying hard for the last 2-3 weeks to hold Hotel reservations in Tunis for the WSIS 2005. It seems that either the event is taking all hotel rooms in Tunis, or we have very lame travel agents in Amman. I hope that now that Ramadan is over, and companies are back to “Normal” working hours, they will actually be able to get some work done, and make the needed arrangements and reservations.

I’ll be part of the Wikimedia team that will attend the summit, I really look forward to it, as well looking forward having the chance to meet Tunisian Bloggers. It will be my first time in Tunisia, but I really feel that I had been there :) My father used to travel there a couple of times each year, for few years. So our house is filled up with things from Tunis :)

I hope that the agents will be at office tomorrow (although it is the 3rd day of Eid), I really want to get over this and move on to preparing other things for the event.

WSIS, Wikimedia