CyberDissidents.org
Encyclopedia
CyberDissidents.org is a human rights organization dedicated to promoting the voices of pro-democracy Internet activists in the Arab world and Iran. The group believes that highlighting the plight of individual democratic dissidents in the West affords a measure of protection against regime oppression.
Relying on a broad network of bloggers in the region, CyberDissidents.org monitors, analyses and publicizes dissidents’ activities in the West. Its staff meet frequently with policy-makers in the United States, Middle East and Europe. CyberDissidents.org promotes linkage between foreign aid and human rights.
The organization has utilized the findings of psychology professor Paul Slovic who studied the phenomenon of indifference in the face of humanitarian disasters. Professor Slovic has written that highlighting individuals is the most effective way of provoking sympathy and concern for a cause. This is seen in the organization’s “Featured CyberDissident” which focuses on a particular dissident’s story.
Bernard Lewis
, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University
, served on CyberDissidents.org’s board of advisers for the first two years of its existence.
Keyes recently partnered with founding chairman emeritus of Human Rights Watch
, Bob Bernstein
, on a new human rights initiative.
Syrian dissident Ahed Al Hendi is the coordinator for Arabic programs at CyberDissidents.org. Al Hendi fled Syria and is currently a refugee living in the United States. Imprisoned and tortured by the Syrian regime, Al Hendi has worked with the Samir Kassir
Foundation in Lebanon as its Syrian researcher and writes frequently in favor of democracy in the Middle East. He has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and writes for several Arabic papers including Al Mustaqbal. In 2010, he was a featured speaker at the Bush Foundation Conference on CyberDissidents where he met with President Bush.
CyberDissidents.org has also been active in Europe. On June 29 2010, Keyes spoke in the Italian Parliament where he briefed nearly 100 Iranian dissidents. His panel included Emma Bonino
, Vice President of the Italian Senate, and Fiamma Nirenstein, Vice President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
and Harry von Bommel, Dutch Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party.
CyberDissidents.org sparked international controversy following an op-ed authored by the organisation's director on February 16, 2010, in The Wall Street Journal
criticizing Turkey
’s ban on YouTube
, which launched a protest movement in Turkey. According to PBS, Keyes’ piece which was written from Istanbul, caused the Turkish newspaper Milliyet
, together with other leading Turkish papers, to initiate a protest campaign to draw attention to the ban on Youtube. Shortly after the publication of Keyes' article, Turkish president Abdullah Gul came out against the ban.
Google has praised CyberDissidents.org for its innovative work. Keyes spoke at Google headquarters in Washington, DC where he advised over a dozen Arab dissidents, many of whom had been imprisoned for online activities. Shortly thereafter, speaking at the 2010 Geneva Human Rights Summit, the head of policy at Google, Bob Boorstin, pointed to CyberDissidents.org as a great organization on the cutting edge. He said “[W]hat should we do, what can we do together, in order to make ensure that the promise triumphs over the peril? The first thing that I would argue is: Don’t reinvent the wheel. The coolest stuff that I’ve seen out there is when a dissident or a blogger in one part of the world has his or her work picked up in another part of the world. There’s a lot of these tactics that can be transferred from place to place. I would also refer you to great organizations that already exist. I mentioned Global Voices, I would also mention the OpenNet Initiative, which is part of Harvard’s Berkman Society. I would mention CyberDissidents.org and DigiActive.org.”
The organization has been featured in a wide array of press, including the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Voice of America
and Alhurra
television.
At the 2010 CyberDissidents conference at the George W. Bush Foundation in Dallas, Texas, a former United States ambassador to the European Union referred to CyberDissidents.org as “the leading organization in the world principally devoted to online democratic dissidents.” Keyes spoke on a panel there together with the Obama administration’s deputy assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Dan Baer.
In 2008 and 2009, CyberDissidents.org coordinated global protests at Egyptian embassies and university campuses in the United States, Canada and Israel in support of Egyptian blogger Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman (also known as Kareem Amer), who was jailed in 2007 for criticizing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and “insulting Islam.” CyberDissidents.org board member and former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky
supported the protests, stating that “freedom of speech is an inalienable right. Suppressing that right contravenes human decency and makes a mockery of the democratic ideal.”
CyberDissidents.org has a network of student ambassadors who have joined the organization to promote freedom of expression in the Middle East. In 2010, former senior director of the National Security Council, Mike Doran, chaired a CyberDissidents.org panel at NYU.
“Why? Because my nine years of imprisonment were accompanied by a relentless worldwide campaign and steady, unambiguous pressure on the communist regime by leaders of the free world. The regime knew that it would pay a heavy price if I were to die. With Marchenko, it was confident that the world did not care enough to do much more than mount a formal protest.”
Profile
Founded in 2008, CyberDissidents.org focuses on autocratic Middle Eastern countries which deny basic liberties, primarily freedom of expression. The organization’s co-founder and director, David Keyes, served previously as coordinator for democracy programs under famed Soviet dissident, Natan Sharansky. Keyes has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, National Review, The Jerusalem Post and other publications. He speaks Arabic, Hebrew and English.Relying on a broad network of bloggers in the region, CyberDissidents.org monitors, analyses and publicizes dissidents’ activities in the West. Its staff meet frequently with policy-makers in the United States, Middle East and Europe. CyberDissidents.org promotes linkage between foreign aid and human rights.
The organization has utilized the findings of psychology professor Paul Slovic who studied the phenomenon of indifference in the face of humanitarian disasters. Professor Slovic has written that highlighting individuals is the most effective way of provoking sympathy and concern for a cause. This is seen in the organization’s “Featured CyberDissident” which focuses on a particular dissident’s story.
Board of advisors
- Ahmed Batebi, Chairman and Iranian cyber-dissident who was imprisoned in Iran for eight years for student activities
- Dr Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Egypt’s most famous democratic dissident and founder of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies and the Arab Organization for Human RightsArab Organization for Human RightsThe Arab Organization for Human Rights is a Non Governmental Organization , founded with a resolution agreed on in Hammamet, Tunisia, in 1983. Its general Assembly is held every three years, while the Board of Trustees meets annually, and consists of 25 members...
- Irwin CotlerIrwin CotlerIrwin Cotler, PC, OC, MP was Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul Martin lost power following the 2006 federal election. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Mount Royal in a by-election...
, Canada’s former Minister of Justice and Attorney General - Natan SharanskyNatan SharanskyNatan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against...
, renowned Soviet dissidentDissidentA dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
(On Leave) - Peter DeutschPeter DeutschPeter R. Deutsch is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. Deutsch was a Democratic Representative from Florida's 20th congressional district from 1993 until 2005.- Background :...
, former Democratic US Congressman - Dorian Barak, former war crimes prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former YugoslaviaInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former YugoslaviaThe International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
in the Hague (ICTY) - Nazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-JamNazanin Afshin-Jam is a Persian Human Rights Activist, , President and Co-Founder of Stop Child Executions, Singer, Songwriter, model, actress, pilot, former Miss World Canada and Miss World 1st runner-up...
, president and co-founder of Stop Child Executions and prime ministerially-appointed member of board of directors of the Canadian Race Relations FoundationCanadian Race Relations FoundationCanadian Race Relations Foundation is a Canadian government agency responsible to foster racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding and help to eliminate racism. The foundation was opened in November 1997, after receiving royal assent on February 1, 1991. The Foundation operates at "arms... - Abdul Wahid al-NurAbdul Wahid al NurAbdul Wahid Mohamed al Nur is the leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement faction...
, founder of the Sudan Liberation Movement - Jim Prince, founder and president of the Democracy Council
- Samer LibdehSamer LibdehSamer Libdeh, or Abu Libdeh, , is a London-based journalist, researcher and policy analyst. He covers issues related to democracy in the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli peace process and US foreign policy...
, director of the Interaction Forum, a Jordanian democracy-promotion group - Dr Nima Mina, lecturer in Persian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London
Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis, FBA is a British-American historian, scholar in Oriental studies, and political commentator. He is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University...
, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, served on CyberDissidents.org’s board of advisers for the first two years of its existence.
Keyes recently partnered with founding chairman emeritus of Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, Bob Bernstein
Robert L. Bernstein
-Career in Publishing:Bernstein started as an office boy at Simon & Schuster in 1946, moved to Random House in 1956 and succeeded Bennett Cerf as President and CEO in 1966. He served as the President of Random House for 25 years. He published many great American authors, including William...
, on a new human rights initiative.
Syrian dissident Ahed Al Hendi is the coordinator for Arabic programs at CyberDissidents.org. Al Hendi fled Syria and is currently a refugee living in the United States. Imprisoned and tortured by the Syrian regime, Al Hendi has worked with the Samir Kassir
Samir Kassir
Samir Kassir was a Lebanese professor of history at Saint-Joseph University and journalist. Born to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, Kassir received his degree in philosophy and political philosophy in 1984, in 1990, Kassir earned his PhD in Modern History also from the University of...
Foundation in Lebanon as its Syrian researcher and writes frequently in favor of democracy in the Middle East. He has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and writes for several Arabic papers including Al Mustaqbal. In 2010, he was a featured speaker at the Bush Foundation Conference on CyberDissidents where he met with President Bush.
Activities
On June 11, 2010, Keyes hosted a panel in the United States Congress. The briefing was held in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and addressed the issue of technology, Internet and access to independent media in Iran. Former Iranian deputy Prime Minister in Political Affairs, Mohsen Sazegara, and former senior director for Middle East Affairs in the National Security Council, Michael Singh joined the briefing. The panel was broadcast live on C-SPAN . Following the briefing, Keyes said, "Few issues could be more important than supporting the Iranian people's right to free expression. We hope to galvanize Congress to put its immense resources behind those on the front line against theocratic dictatorship. Bloggers such as Omid Reza Mir Sayafi died in prison for nothing more than speaking their mind. The government of Iran jams broadcasts, filters the Internet, blocks Twitter and arrests dissidents. This crackdown is the ultimate proof of the regime's cruelty and insecurity."CyberDissidents.org has also been active in Europe. On June 29 2010, Keyes spoke in the Italian Parliament where he briefed nearly 100 Iranian dissidents. His panel included Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino is an Italian politician, former Member of the European Parliament and current Member of the Italian Senate. She is a leading member of the Italian Radicals, a political party that supports economic and social libertarianism, and human rights...
, Vice President of the Italian Senate, and Fiamma Nirenstein, Vice President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
and Harry von Bommel, Dutch Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party.
CyberDissidents.org sparked international controversy following an op-ed authored by the organisation's director on February 16, 2010, in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
criticizing Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
’s ban on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, which launched a protest movement in Turkey. According to PBS, Keyes’ piece which was written from Istanbul, caused the Turkish newspaper Milliyet
Milliyet
Milliyet is a major Turkish daily newspaper founded in 1950.-History:Milliyet came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950...
, together with other leading Turkish papers, to initiate a protest campaign to draw attention to the ban on Youtube. Shortly after the publication of Keyes' article, Turkish president Abdullah Gul came out against the ban.
Google has praised CyberDissidents.org for its innovative work. Keyes spoke at Google headquarters in Washington, DC where he advised over a dozen Arab dissidents, many of whom had been imprisoned for online activities. Shortly thereafter, speaking at the 2010 Geneva Human Rights Summit, the head of policy at Google, Bob Boorstin, pointed to CyberDissidents.org as a great organization on the cutting edge. He said “[W]hat should we do, what can we do together, in order to make ensure that the promise triumphs over the peril? The first thing that I would argue is: Don’t reinvent the wheel. The coolest stuff that I’ve seen out there is when a dissident or a blogger in one part of the world has his or her work picked up in another part of the world. There’s a lot of these tactics that can be transferred from place to place. I would also refer you to great organizations that already exist. I mentioned Global Voices, I would also mention the OpenNet Initiative, which is part of Harvard’s Berkman Society. I would mention CyberDissidents.org and DigiActive.org.”
The organization has been featured in a wide array of press, including the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
and Alhurra
Alhurra
Alhurra is a United States-based Arabic-language satellite TV channel funded by the U.S. Congress that broadcasts news and current affairs programming to audiences in the Middle East and North Africa...
television.
At the 2010 CyberDissidents conference at the George W. Bush Foundation in Dallas, Texas, a former United States ambassador to the European Union referred to CyberDissidents.org as “the leading organization in the world principally devoted to online democratic dissidents.” Keyes spoke on a panel there together with the Obama administration’s deputy assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Dan Baer.
In 2008 and 2009, CyberDissidents.org coordinated global protests at Egyptian embassies and university campuses in the United States, Canada and Israel in support of Egyptian blogger Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman (also known as Kareem Amer), who was jailed in 2007 for criticizing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and “insulting Islam.” CyberDissidents.org board member and former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against...
supported the protests, stating that “freedom of speech is an inalienable right. Suppressing that right contravenes human decency and makes a mockery of the democratic ideal.”
CyberDissidents.org has a network of student ambassadors who have joined the organization to promote freedom of expression in the Middle East. In 2010, former senior director of the National Security Council, Mike Doran, chaired a CyberDissidents.org panel at NYU.
Influence of Andrei Sakharov and Natan Sharansky
The group is heavily influenced by the philosophy of Soviet dissidents Andrei Sakharov and Natan Sharansky. Sharansky, who was imprisoned in a Soviet gulag for nine years, wrote: “In 1986, the Soviet dissident Anatoly Marchenko died in the infamous Chistopol prison after a long and futile hunger strike for improved conditions. Three years earlier, I had gone on a similar hunger strike in the same prison and been subjected to the same tortuous conditions by KGB thugs. But the authorities eventually gave in to my demands.“Why? Because my nine years of imprisonment were accompanied by a relentless worldwide campaign and steady, unambiguous pressure on the communist regime by leaders of the free world. The regime knew that it would pay a heavy price if I were to die. With Marchenko, it was confident that the world did not care enough to do much more than mount a formal protest.”