Spitting Into the Wind

It's sad to think that there are countries in the world that do not allow something that many of us take for granted, and that is freedom of speech. There's been a few news stories recently of bloggers who have got themselves into trouble for something they've written. China was very strict in the lead-up to the Olympics about what its citizens wrote.

In today's news a Moroccan blogger was jailed for 2 years for showing disrespect to the monarchy.

Mohammed Erraji, 29, was convicted after writing an article claiming King Mohammed VI's charitable habits were encouraging a culture of dependency. "This has made the Moroccans a people without dignity, who live by donations and gifts," he wrote.

I'm sure I've written worse, and I've seen much worse written about other people. A Facebook group and an internet site have been set up in support of Erraji, where you can sign a petition and leave a comment. If enough people sign it might create enough pressure to make a difference.

Human rights groups have criticised the verdict and demanded that Erraji be released. His family claim he did not receive a fair trial, and it was all over in less than 10 minutes.