(AMARC/IFJ/IFEX) – The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have called for solidarity action in support of Indymedia, a global network of independent media organizations, following the recent seizure of Indymedia servers and the closure of 20 Indymedia websites. Two Indymedia web servers were seized from the […]
(AMARC/IFJ/IFEX) – The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have called for solidarity action in support of Indymedia, a global network of independent media organizations, following the recent seizure of Indymedia servers and the closure of 20 Indymedia websites.
Two Indymedia web servers were seized from the US-owned web hosting company Rackspace operating in London, UK, on 7 October 2004, at the request of the US Justice Department, which apparently acted at the prompting of Italian and Swiss authorities.
On 13 October, Indymedia launched an international solidarity campaign for the return of the servers and data seized by the authorities and for a full investigation into the action.
AMARC and IFJ described the seizure as an unprecedented attack on freedom of expression, which highlights the vulnerability of media freedom on the Internet.
The seizure of the servers in London shut down about 20 different Indymedia websites, including those in Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille, Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, the UK and Germany. Many are still offline and the few that have returned have suffered significant data loss.
For background on the server seizures see:
http://indymedia.org/en/static/fbi
http://www.indymedia.org
http://www.indymedia.org.uk
