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The year 2010 may well be remembered as a watershed year when activists and
journalists used new technology to speak truth to power and, in so doing, pushed for
greater respect for human rights. It is also the year when repressive governments faced
the real possibility that their days were numbered.
Information is a source of power, and for those challenging the abuse of power by
states and other institutions, it is an exciting time. Since Amnesty International’s inception
half a century ago, we have seen and shaped similar major shifts in the power struggle
between those perpetrating abuses and the courageous and inventive individuals who
expose their wrongdoing. As a movement dedicated to focusing global outrage in defence
of beleaguered individuals, we are committed to supporting activists who imagine a world
in which information is truly free and in which they can exercise their right to express
dissent peacefully, beyond the control of the authorities.
For 50 years, Amnesty International has explored frontier technologies that can give
voice to the powerless and abused. From teleprinters, photocopiers and fax machines
through to radio, television, satellite communications, phones, emails and the internet, we
have harnessed them all in support of mass mobilization. They have been tools that have
A TELLING RESPONSE
Confronted with the situation in Tunisia and Egypt, the response of Western governments is
instructive. The USA severed their long relationship with President Ben ‘Ali of Tunisia. The
French Minister of Foreign Affairs initially proposed helping the Ben ‘Ali government to handle
the protest, but outrage at such a position erupted in France and after Ben ‘Ali fled Tunisia the
French finally came out in support of the protesters. Faced with similar protests in Egypt,
the USA and many European governments appeared caught off guard and unwilling to
support the protesters’ initial call for President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak to leave power.
The USA in particular has invested heavily in the stability of the Mubarak government
despite ample evidence of its brutality over the last 30 years. In fact throughout the world,
many governments that proclaim to value human rights and democracy explicitly