I would like to welcome Jerry Brown, Mayor of Oakland, to the blogosphere. He wrote about
imprisoned Iranian blogger Arash Sigarichi in a recent post.
Bloggers are a force. The established order of politics (EOP) and the MSM face a big challenge from this fearless army. Tragically, in some countries, the challenge is met by enforced silence.
Arash Sigarchi, a 28-year-old journalist in Iran, has been sentenced to fourteen years in prison for criticizing the regime in his blog. Yesterday, the Committee to Protect Bloggers declared a day of action to support imprisoned bloggers everywhere.
I join in. We really need a powerful effort to make sure everyone knows and no one forgets Arash Sigarchi.
Regardless of political difference, we know that officials love to silence critics—even kill or imprison them. Journalists, bloggers, whoever raises the questions, must be defended. Everywhere.
As the
Committee to Protect Bloggers notes, there are others besides Sigarichi, including Bahraini bloggers at
Bahrain Online.
