German radio station Deutsche Welle has just published the list of nominees for its weblog contest — the BoBs — including a "freedom of expression" category. Bloggers nominated for that honor by Reporters Without Borders include Mokhtar Yahyaoui of Tunisia, who is currently on a hunger strike to protest his government's repressive policies regarding free speech. Contest results will be announced on 21 November, (drum roll) and the nominees are:
– China Digital Times. A news blog about China that published by expats.
– Chronique déplaisante d'une dictature ordinaire: A French resident in Addis Ababa blogs about repression in Ethiopia, interviews Ethiopian dissidents.
– Manal and Alaa Bit Bucket. Egyptian blog with discussion forum and HOWTO resour, but also a resources for Arabic-speakers who wish set up blogs of their own.
– Wang Yi's microphone. Political and social critique from a China-based writer.
– Hanif Mazrooie. Tha Iranian journalist who writes this blog spent a month in prison because of it last year.
– Parastood. Long-running Iranian blog known for frank criticism.
– Colombian realities. Maintained by an independent Colombian journalist.
– Yahyaoui. Blog penned by former judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui, one of Tunisia's leading political dissidents and uncle of cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui. His domain was recently rendered unavailable through a hostile "pirate takeover", but is still reachable via wayback machine or google cache.
The RSF announcement states:
Mr. 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.
