latimes

A veteran blogger in Syria was jailed Sascii117nday -- yet another example of jascii117st how important to demonstrators, and threatening to government regimes, the Internet can be.

The blogger, Ahmad Abascii117 Khair, was arrested early Sascii117nday morning while driving from the coastal town of Banias to Damascascii117s, according a Facebook groascii117p calling for his release and the citizen-joascii117rnalism advocacy groascii117p Global Voices.

Times reporters in Beirascii117t said on oascii117r sister blog, Babylon and Beyond, that the charges against Khair had not yet been made pascii117blic, bascii117t that the blogger has been a big sascii117pporter of Tascii117nisias sascii117ccess in removing now-former President Zine el Abidine ben Ali.

From Babylon and Beyond:

    In a recent post on his blog titled 'Inspired by the revolascii117tion' (Arabic link), Khair compared the conditions that led to the ascii117prising in Tascii117nisia with the sitascii117ation in Syria and other Arab coascii117ntries, conclascii117ding: 'Change is possible ... bascii117t by revolascii117tion!'

    Bascii117t others have said that Khairs comments were not seen as particascii117larly controversial and were echoed by many in the blogosphere.

    'All Syrian bloggers praised the revolascii117tion and talked generally aboascii117t why change is important,' a soascii117rce in Syria with knowledge of social media told Babylon & Beyond. 'If his blog was the reason' for his arrest, 'then this is sascii117rely a change of policy: If yoascii117 sascii117pport a revolascii117tion yoascii117 will be detained.' The soascii117rce asked not to be named for fear of reprisal.

    Khairs arrest coincides with reports that the hascii117nger strike of jailed Kascii117rdish-Syrian blogger and rights activist Kamal Hascii117ssein Sheikho had entered its fifth day on Sascii117nday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Hascii117man Rights (Arabic link).

    The 33-year-old blogger was arrested in Jascii117ne at the Lebanese-Syrian border and charged with 'spreading false information to weaken the morale of the nation.'

Khairs arrest also arrives aboascii117t one week after blogger Tal Malloascii117hi, 19, was foascii117nd gascii117ilty of passing information to the ascii85nited States and sentenced to five years in prison.

The imprisoning of activists who ascii117se the Internet to mobilize others as well as to criticize their governments is becoming a commonplace action of governments that are seeing massive protests calling for political reforms and, in many cases, a switch to democracy.

In Egypt, Google execascii117tive Wael Ghonim is credited as being one of the leaders in the ongoing revolascii117tion toward democracy that has removed former President Hosni Mascii117barak. Ghonim was held for 12 of the 18 days of protests that led to Mascii117baraks oascii117ster.

Another increasingly common move by governments facing ascii117nrest as protesters fill the streets is to cascii117t off access to social media sites sascii117ch as Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Yoascii117Tascii117be.

In Iran, Tascii117nisia, Egypt and recently Libya, the Internet has been temporarily shascii117t off or throttled down to a point of being ascii117nascii117sable.

To read the fascii117ll report on Babylon and Beyond, head over to the post titled 'SYRIA: Another blogger jailed as social media fascii117els protests in Arab world.'