One of the most-watched videos on YouTube of late is the one of Neda Agha-Soltan’s death. I don’t subscribe to YouTube. I mean, sure, I watch videos on it, but I never signed up. Not until today, that is, when I tried to watch this particular video because YouTube wanted to make sure I am 18 years old or older to watch the disturbing clip taken from a phone cam.
I don’t know her or her politics but I cried. Neda was shot in the chest during a rally protesting the results of the recent elections in Iran. During that time, there was close surveillance on internet activities. The person who took the video couldn’t post it directly on YouTube without endangering his family. So he emailed it to a friend, who forwarded it to other friends, until it found its way to YouTube. CNN picked it up from there.
If the Iranian government wanted total internet silence, it should have completely shut-off the internet. Fortunately for the protest movement and for free speech, the government could not unplug itself from cyberspace. Whatever its reasons, it allowed limited access to the internet.
The internet has been a powerful tool for protest movements. But it takes but little imagination to say that if protesters can use the internet, so can the government.
The email message said, “Please let the world know.” The world knows. Censor that!
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