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The eight Reporters Without Borders
nominees for the blog contest

The German radio station Deutsche Welle has published the
list of nominees for its weblog contest, including those chosen by
Reporters Without Borders for the "freedom of _expression"
category. The bloggers who have been singled out include former
Tunisian judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui, currently on a hunger strike in
protest against President Ben Ali’s repressive policies.

From the more than 130 blogs proposed by Internet users, Reporters
Without Borders and Deutsche Welle picked the shortlist of
eight because of a particular passion they have displayed in their
defence of free _expression. All of these eight blogs carry news and
information not found in the traditional media. Internet users can
vote on http://www.thebobs.de to indicate who they prefer. But it will be up
to the panel of judges to choose the final winners. The results will
be announced on 21 November.

These are the eight nominees in the special category sponsored by
Reporters Without Borders:

– China Digital Times (http://chinadigitaltimes.net)
A news blog about China that is published outside of the country. A
very rich source for those who want to follow Chinese current
affairs.

– Chronique déplaisante d’une dictature ordinaire
(http://www.addisferengi.net)
A French resident in Addis Ababa criticises repression in Ethiopia.
The blog includes lots of interviews with Ethiopian dissidents.

– Manal and Alaa Bit Bucket (www.manalaa.net)
An Egyptian blog promoting free _expression and human rights. A forum
for discussion, but also a resource centre for Arabic-speaking
Internet users who would like to set up their own blog.

– Wang Yi’s microphone (http://zhivago.tianyablog.com)
A Chinese intellectual who uses his blog as a microphone to denounce
the repressive system that rules his country.

– Hanif Mazrooie (http://hanif.ir)
An independent Iranian journalist’s blog which led to its author
spending a month in prison in September 2004.

– Parastood (www.parastood.com)
One of the oldest Iranian blogs, famous for its open criticism.

– Colombian realities (http://lacoctelera.com/realidades)
A Colombian journalist who writes critically about a range of issues
including his country’s pervasive violence and corruption.

– Yahyaoui (http://yahyaoui.blogspot.com)
The blog of former judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui, one of Tunisia’s leading
political dissidents and the uncle of cyber-dissident Zouhair
Yahyaoui. His blog was recently pirated and rendered unavailable. But
it can still be accessed by using Google’s "cached" function
(enter yahyaoui + blogspot in Google and then choose the "cached"
option).

Mokhtar Yahyaoui is one of seven Tunisian civil society figures who
are currently on hunger strike in protest against the lack of freedom
in Tunisia, where his blog is censored, along with dozens of others.
Nonetheless, Tunis is to host the World Summit on the Information
Society on 16-18 November, which is being organised under the aegis of
the United Nations.