Egypt Blogger Jailed

Egypt blogger Maikel Nabil jailed by military court

A military court in Egypt has sentenced an internet activist to three years in jail for criticising the armed forces.

Maikel Nabil was arrested last month for blogs that criticised the army's role during anti-government protests.

The 26-year-old is thought to be the first blogger jailed in Egypt since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak.

Activists said the trial set a dangerous precedent at a time when Egypt was trying to move away from the alleged abuses of the Mubarak era.

The rest of the article can be found at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13038937

Internal Political Roles of Bloggers in the US & in Kazakhstan

I came across an article in the NYT that gives a good example of bloggers assuming internal political roles. Rutenberg decribes liberal bloggers who are working with MoveOn to establish a political action committee that aims to challenge the centrist Democrats and push for a more left-leaning Dem party. The bloggers hope to solicit donations from readers. Rutenberg finds that the blogosphere has "proven effective at motivating party activists to give money and time to political campaigns, especially in local races."

On the other side of the world, internal political bloggers in Kazakhstan, such as Prime Minister Karim Massimov, face more obstacles in their struggle to have an impact. This Economist article describes Massimov as the country's top blogger. You can even visit Massimov's personal blog (though unless you understand Kazakh, you may not be able to make much of it), which is under threat of being shut down by Parliament. Apparently, citizens are posting their concerns on the blog and Massimov has even referred to some of these appeals in official meetings.