Tunisian cyber-dissident freed

In an alarming number of countries around the globe, badmouthing the power elite can land you in jail. Zouhair Yahyaoui knows it all too well; after criticizing the totalitarian regime of Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali on his now-banned website TUNeZINE, he was sentenced to a 28-month prison term for making fraudulent use of internet connections (read: distributing pro-democracy materials and criticizing Ali online). After several hunger strikes and alleged torture by prison officials, he was released today. Tunisia, one of the "countries most hostile to the free flow of information," according to Reporters without Borders, is--ironically--hosting phase two of the World Summit on the Information Society in 2005, a conference geared toward closing the divide between communication haves and have-nots. While Tunisia may seem like an unlikely host, they’ll be in good company: 60 percent of the 185 UN member nations participating in the summit don’t allow a free press.

For more information on the World Summit, taking place next month in Geneva, visit Communication Rights in the Information Society.