Why should I ask the government what books I can read?

Tajikistan has imposed greater
fines on breaking censorship rules.

Tajikistan has a new law.

In late December 2010, President Emomali Rahmon signed into law severe new punishments for producing, distributing, importing or exporting religious literature and items of a religious nature that have not passed through the compulsory prior state religious censorship, reports Forum 18 News Service.

The Religion Law states that only officially registered religious organisations and their members may import, export, produce, sell and distribute religious literature or items of a religious nature—and they may do this only if they have specific permission for each item from the state Religious Affairs Committee.

Religious leaders have complained to Forum 18 about the high new fines and the continuing religious censorship that violates Tajikistan's international human rights commitments.

An Ismaili Imam from, who wished to remain unnamed for fear of reprisals from the authorities, told Forum 18 on Tuesday that it is "very bad that such heavy fines" were introduced by the Tajik authorities. "Why should I ask the Government what books I can read?" he asked. "I should be free to read any books about my faith."

Individuals who break the censorship rules will be fined up to $800 CAD, and religious organisations will be fined up to $1,600 CAD. Repeat violations will lead to fines for individuals of up to $1,200 CAD and for organisations up to $2,400 CAD. In addition to these new fines, religious organisations can also be fined up to $800 CAD for not marking the organisation's full name on the religious literature.

The new law was created with the addition of Article 474-1 to the Code of Administrative Offences, and took effect on January 1.

The new punishments come amid increasing government restrictions on religious activity. In recent months the government has pressured Muslims studying abroad to return home, has closed mosques and continued to deny state registration to religious communities.

You can read the full story here.

A stand against censorship

In a decision heartily welcomed by many human rights advocates, Google has decided to stop censoring its search results in China. Read the article below for more information and, as always, we welcome your comments and opinions regarding this new development.

Google China: Search engine's stand against censorship welcomed by campaigners

Caroline Davies
guardian.co.uk, Monday 22 March 2010

Google's decision to stop censoring its search results in China was applauded by human rights and anti-censorship activists long critical of the internet giant's decision to accede to Beijing's demands.

The move threw down the gauntlet to other companies operating under strict Chinese conditions, they said.

Index on Censorship, which campaigns for freedom of expression, hailed it as "a pretty brave, principled move".

"Obviously, dealing with regimes like this is neither desirable for Google, nor profitable in the broader terms of dealing with censored material," said a spokesman. "It is not how the internet works." "Google have obviously looked at the long game and realised that they have to stick to their guns. And, hopefully, it will send a message to other regimes, and indeed other companies, that this kind of approach to the internet won't work.

"China is a very desirable market for anybody and Google has been growing there for the past couple of years, even though it is still well behind Baidu on usage. They could very easily have taken the short-term view and said 'we'll play the regime's game'. But they have decided not to and they should be congratulated on that."

Amnesty International, which has been vocal in its disappointment over Google's acquiescence to the Chinese government's demands, also welcomed the decision.

"Amnesty has consistently called on companies operating in China to stop collaborating with the Chinese authorities' censorship requirements, and to respect the right to freedom of expression for web users in China," said its UK director Kate Allen. "We have repeatedly urged Google and other companies to abide by their own stated principles and provide unbiased, accurate and free access to information .

"It's very welcome news that Google appears to be moving back towards these principles. This now lays down the gauntlet to other internet companies operating in China: to be transparent about what filtering and censorship the government requires them to do and to stand up for free speech where they can, using legal appeals and other judicial measures".

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent body which protects press freedom, hoped it could see a marked change in China's attitude towards the internet.

"We welcome this stand against censorship and hope that all internet companies operating in China take a similar principled position," said its deputy director Robert Mahoney. "Many of the web sites censored by the Chinese government are news and social networking websites, with a wide range of topics blocked from general discussion. Google's decision to stop censoring search results will put Google on the wrong side of the Great Firewall.

"In the long run, however, we hope that it ramps up pressure on the Chinese government to allow its citizens to access the news and information they need to be informed and engaged citizens."

The Washington-based Centre for Democracy and Technology, which campaigns for an open internet, said Google should be applauded for "following through on its commitment to protect human rights", and for "its continued effort to enable China's people with unfiltered access to robust sources of information, from all over the world".

The group's president, Leslie Harris, added: "Whether the Chinese people will be able to take advantage of Google search now rests squarely with the Chinese government. If China allows access to unfiltered search, it will be a substantial win for global internet freedom. If China blocks access, it will make clear who is pulling the levers of censorship in the country."

Consumer Watchdog, the Californian consumer, education and advocacy organisation agreed: "Google should be commended for its action. The internet giant should never have censored results in the first place, but the action is a strong move towards supporting freedom of speech on the internet," said consumer advocate John Simpson.