[governance] Regimes cannot overcome the power of people communicating in solidarity

[Valeria Betancourt]

∗∗Apologies for cross-posting∗∗

Regimes cannot overcome the power of people communicating in solidarity

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, January 28 2011-- The Association for  
Progressive Communications (APC) joins the global solidarity and  
social justice movement in affirming our support to and solidarity  
with the Egyptian people as they take to the streets in the struggle  
for democratic reform and human rights.

“People have had enough, tens of thousands of Egyptians are in the  
streets protesting in numerous cities, defying the imposed curfew and  
demanding Mubarak leave. They are no longer fearful. This regime is  
going down and things will never go back to what they used to be,”  
said Manal Hassan, Egyptian activist and blogger who works with APC's  
Feminist Technology Exchange training team, today.

“The total communication shut down -- of mobiles, the internet and  
now even landlines-- is beyond what was anticipated,” Leila Hassanin  
of APC member ArabDev wrote. “In hindsight this was to be expected  
with the
government having complete control over telecoms but it shows how  
panicked the regime is.”

Internet rights, such as access to the internet, and the freedom to  
use it to speak out against repression, must be guaranteed by all  
governments. This is a foundational part of the the right to freedom  
of expression and association, to which the international community  
have committed through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“The power of people communicating in solidarity and joint action is  
a power that even the most over-confident rulers and regimes cannot  
overcome, not in the long term”, said APC's executive director  
Anriette Estherhuysen.

“New technologies such as the internet and mobile phones strengthen,  
connects and amplify this power. What is happening in Egypt at the  
moment, and what has happened in Tunisia recently, is a demonstration  
of people's outrage and courage in the face of long term repression –  
now played out on and supported by the internet and mobile  
technologies."

About Internet Rights http://www.apc.org/en/node/5677/

For minute-to-minute updates on Egypt follow APC partner Alaa Abd El
Fattah https://twitter.com/alaa

END


-------------
Valeria Betancourt
Directora / Manager
Programa de Políticas de Information y Comunicación / Communication  
and Information Policy Programme
Asociación para el Progreso de las Comunicaciones / Association for
Progressive Communications, APC
http://www.apc.org





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