Facebook and Youtube are now accessible in Syria for the first time in three years, an event which marks the first time the Syrian government has lifted restrictions on public internet use. Though there has been no official confirmation of the end of the ban from government figures, Mazen Darwish, head of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, stated that he was given "semiofficial confirmation." It is speculated that the lifting of the ban is a preventative response to unrest following protest in Egypt and Tunisia, however in Syria it is not viewed as a particularly meaningful concession. Despite the ban, Syrians have historically accessed the popular sites through web proxies. Still, president Bashar Assad has told the Wall Street Journal that he will seek political reforms in Syria. However the country has largely escaped the political tumult that has increasing built in the middle east, and questions remain about how much internal pressure actually exists in Syria. A recent "Day of Rage" scheduled in Damascus to protest the autocratic regime failed to draw any protesters.
Chris Bilbro
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment