Alexandra Samuel writes about the risks facing bloggers in countries that do not value free speech as democratic societies do. She points to the Committee to Protect Bloggers, and notes:
The cases profiled on the CPB site are a reminder of why blogger rights matter. Visit the site now to sign a petition for the protection of Omid Sheikhan, an Iranian student who was jailed and tortured in response to his blog posts. Or join the list of signatories on a petition to Motjaba Saminejad, an Iranian blogger who was jailed for blogging about the arrest of fellow Persian bloggers.
The site is also a great reminder of why blogs themselves matter: because they really do constitute a challenge to existing power structures and information control. Governments don’t throw bloggers in jail so that they’ll have someone to keep notes on their correctional facilities; they throw bloggers in jail because the content and reach of blogs poses a profound threat to centralized authority.