Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Zimbabwe Makes Arrest Over Facebook Comment

Posted by Unknown on from the voluntary-registration dept.

inasity_rules writes "It seems using Facebook/Twitter to try overthrowing a corrupt government can backfire a bit, especially if they are expecting it. In Zimbabwe your Facebook posts can get you arrested. Probably for anything up to and including treason."

9 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. In Zimbabwe anything can get you arrested by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In Zimbabwe anything can get you arrested, heck nothing can too. Zimbabwe does not exactly have what we call the rule of law.

  2. Re:They can anywhere. by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If I post "Obama should be over thrown, lets have a protest over X Saturday", the Secret Service won't come, they won't arrest me.

    If I live in Zimbabwe and post "Overthrow ZANU-PF, lets have a protest Saturday!" I'll be arrested or killed.

  3. Re:They can anywhere. by maxume · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or just be prepared to face the consequences of your actions.

    I mean, working within the system hasn't exactly always been a meaningful option.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  4. Re:They can anywhere. by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Informative

    What existing legal structure? You do realize Mugabe did not win the recent elections but will not step down, right?

  5. Re:Facebook? by flaming+error · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'll give you that Bush was more tolerant than Mugabe, for whatever that is worth. But if you think there were "no consequences" and nobody got arrested you're mistaken.

    http://www.mountainx.com/news/2007/activist_arrested_after_displaying_impeach_bush_cheney_sign_on_overpass

    http://forum.davidicke.com/showthread.php?t=9167

    http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2927369

    http://www.progressive.org/mag_wx081607

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6702

    http://warisacrime.org/node/30068

  6. Re:In the Facebook age by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In the Facebook age, dissidents have Prime Ministers arrested. I think this PM should be careful.

    The "facebook age" (seriously, no!) has also made it much easier for oppressive regimes to figure out what dissidents are up to, who they associate with, etc. I'm not terribly amazed that this is happening, nor would I be amazed if this becomes standard procedure for some countries.

    Aside from that, I think that it's all too easy to say that from a few facebook posts governments and dictators will fall. "Every civilization is three meals away from revolution" is perhaps more appropriate, but that doesn't mean the revolution is a success. Have a look at the current situation in Libya. That one is going to take a little while, and it's going to be very uncivilized compared to clicking "LIKE +1".

    Ever wonder why we don't have more revolutions? My country is currently going through an economic crisis, has no real government to speak of, and by this time next year I'm going to be about 6% poorer effectively than I am now (by estimation). So the question is, why aren't we revolting in the streets? Is it because we're civilized and polite? Or is it because we're entertained by mass media, well fed by our supermarkets, and we've still got a roof over our head and a relatively well maintained (false) sense of security. (Note that I am not advocating a revolution, merely pointing something out)

    It's nice that terrible regimes not prepared for the Internet now fall with the aid of it, but it's not "because of the Internet" that this is happening. It's because the people were fed up, and with or without the Internet they would've found a way to make it happen.

  7. Re:robert mugabe was the leader of a revolution by bmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Remember that Moammar "threw off" tyrrany to declare his own dictatorship.

    Also remember that Eastern Europe threw off tyrranies to create actual democracies. Just because a revolution happens doesn't mean that the end result is predictable.

    Remember that when you're posting stupid shit on slashdot.

    --
    BMO

  8. Where's my false equivalency posts? by circletimessquare · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Where are the fools who always pop up under a story like this to explain to us, with great indignation, why it is no better in the West, that the West does the same thing? Whenever China, Iran, North Korea, Egypt, Zimbabwe, etc., does anything vile with human rights, I need the solace of my false equivalency fools who are always there to tell me why in the West it is exactly the same, and no better.

    Of course, these brave false equivalency fools are always so critical of the West... from within the West. What I want to see is their "bravery" and lazy iconoclasm, from within another country. Let's see how brave they are to post criticism of China, from within China, to post criticism of Iran, from within Iran, of Zimbabwe, from within Zimbabwe.

    Any takers?

    (crickets)

    Don't seem so brave and counterculture now, do they? And maybe that means more about the true relationship between your rights and freedoms in the West versus those in countries that genuinely grant you no rights to expression or other simple aspects of human dignity, whatsoever.

    The West does plenty wrong, and the West can improve, of course. But if you understand how good you have it RELATIVELY SPEAKING (never mind that we can do better), only then you can begin to say something intelligent about the world you live in. But if you think you are saying something intelligent by equating human rights in the West versus Zimbabwe, or China, or Iran, you're just announcing how sheltered and ignorant you are.

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:Where's my false equivalency posts? by Bob9113 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      > The West does plenty wrong, and the West can improve, of course. But if you understand how good you have it RELATIVELY SPEAKING

      Screw relatively speaking. What kind of American wants to be a little better than China or any other nation? I'm a pretty hard-core patriot. I want to be better than everyone. I want to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. I've seriously considered the alternatives, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else on the planet -- and I still want us to do better.

      I think we're the best as a result of all the time we have spent striving to be the best. America Right or Wrong! When wrong to be put right, when right to be kept right.

      What kind of defeatist propaganda are you trying to spread by telling people not to reflect on our opportunities for improvement? The most important thing we can all do as patriots is constantly ask ourselves how we can be better. Even though we are the best, I want to be more best. I want to be ten times as good as the next best, not twice as good. Did Johnny Bench play it soft in the All Star game? No. Why? Because he wanted to win.

      And here's your false equivalency for you (though I won't call it equivalency, because it is not, we are much better than Zimbabwe):

      A guy exposed a bunch of documents that led or is leading to the downfall of five different brutal dictatorships, to be replaced with democracy. Something the entire Neo-Con army has just barely sort of managed to do in one (Iraq). He is being held in military prison, and (apparently against the advise of military psychologists) being held in the harsh (absolutely, not relatively, Zimbabwe is worse) conditions of self-harm prevention. Despite his lawyer saying he is at no risk. A very reasonable hypothesis is that they are trying to get him to break and testify that Julian Assange assisted him, so they can go after Assange on espionage charges.

      So -- Zimbabwe is worse. But when our own people do what they genuinely believe is best for Our Nation, and the results are *exactly* what the Neo-Cons claim they are after (spreading democracy in place of dictatorships), we treat him better than Zimbabwe treats their dissidents. That's not a high bar to get over. We can do a helluva lot better.

      I want us to be better than that. I want us to be able to say, "We don't like this stuff being exposed, and we will do everything in our power to increase security. And Pfc Manning is a patriot who was doing his duty to his nation to the best of his ability, despite the fact that we strenuously disagree with his approach. The reason we don't have to make some kind of example of him is this: Look at the evidence that was revealed -- we *are* better than everyone else, and now those brutal dictators are getting exactly what they deserve. Sometimes the truth comes out, and hinders our diplomatic agenda in the short run. And we will do everything we can to prevent such events in the future. However, when it does happen, like this time, the truth will show that we are not just better than the despots -- but that we are the best -- even while we handle far more than our share of the world's problems. Because we are that good."

      --
      Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance