Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08CAIRO2371
2008-11-18 10:39:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:
REQUESTING DEPARTMENT ASSISTANCE TO RESTORE
how-toVZCZCXRO3563 OO RUEHROV DE RUEHEG #2371 3231039 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 181039Z NOV 08 FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0871 INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS CAIRO 002371
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DRL/NESCA FOR BERGLUND
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM EG
SUBJECT: REQUESTING DEPARTMENT ASSISTANCE TO RESTORE
EGYPTIAN BLOGGER'S YOUTUBE ACCESS
REF: A. CAIRO 2370
B. DECEMBER 2007 CASTEEL-LEMPERT E-MAILS
C. 07 CAIRO 3214
UNCLAS CAIRO 002371
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DRL/NESCA FOR BERGLUND
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM EG
SUBJECT: REQUESTING DEPARTMENT ASSISTANCE TO RESTORE
EGYPTIAN BLOGGER'S YOUTUBE ACCESS
REF: A. CAIRO 2370
B. DECEMBER 2007 CASTEEL-LEMPERT E-MAILS
C. 07 CAIRO 3214
1. (U) This is an action request; please see para 4.
2. (SBU) Prominent Egyptian blogger, human rights activist
and winner of the 2007 Knight-Ridder International Journalism
Award, Wael Abbas, contacted us November 17 to report that
YouTube removed from his website two videos exposing police
abuses -- one of Sinai bedouin allegedly shot by police and
thrown in a garbage dump during the past week's violence (ref
A),and the other of a woman being tortured in a police
station. Abbas told us that YouTube is also preventing him
from posting new videos, and he asked us for assistance in
urging YouTube to re-post his removed videos and reinstate
his access to uploading new material. Abbas said he has
tried to contact Google, but has not received a response.
3. (SBU) In December 2007, DRL and Embassy Cairo worked to
convince Google to restore Abbas' YouTube access after a
similar incident. We believe that a similar Department
intervention with Google representatives could help in
restoring Abbas' access again. Abbas is an influential
blogger and human rights activist, and we want to do
everything we can to assist him in exposing police abuse.
Abbas' post of a video showing two policemen sodomizing a bus
driver was used as the main evidence to convict the officers
in November 2007 (ref C).
4. (SBU) Action Request: We request that the Department
please contact Pablo Chavez of Google to try to resolve this
matter. We have e-mailed Google contact information and the
e-mail chain from the Department's December 2007 intervention
to DRL/NESCA and NEA/ELA (ref B).
SCOBEY
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DRL/NESCA FOR BERGLUND
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KDEM EG
SUBJECT: REQUESTING DEPARTMENT ASSISTANCE TO RESTORE
EGYPTIAN BLOGGER'S YOUTUBE ACCESS
REF: A. CAIRO 2370
B. DECEMBER 2007 CASTEEL-LEMPERT E-MAILS
C. 07 CAIRO 3214
1. (U) This is an action request; please see para 4.
2. (SBU) Prominent Egyptian blogger, human rights activist
and winner of the 2007 Knight-Ridder International Journalism
Award, Wael Abbas, contacted us November 17 to report that
YouTube removed from his website two videos exposing police
abuses -- one of Sinai bedouin allegedly shot by police and
thrown in a garbage dump during the past week's violence (ref
A),and the other of a woman being tortured in a police
station. Abbas told us that YouTube is also preventing him
from posting new videos, and he asked us for assistance in
urging YouTube to re-post his removed videos and reinstate
his access to uploading new material. Abbas said he has
tried to contact Google, but has not received a response.
3. (SBU) In December 2007, DRL and Embassy Cairo worked to
convince Google to restore Abbas' YouTube access after a
similar incident. We believe that a similar Department
intervention with Google representatives could help in
restoring Abbas' access again. Abbas is an influential
blogger and human rights activist, and we want to do
everything we can to assist him in exposing police abuse.
Abbas' post of a video showing two policemen sodomizing a bus
driver was used as the main evidence to convict the officers
in November 2007 (ref C).
4. (SBU) Action Request: We request that the Department
please contact Pablo Chavez of Google to try to resolve this
matter. We have e-mailed Google contact information and the
e-mail chain from the Department's December 2007 intervention
to DRL/NESCA and NEA/ELA (ref B).
SCOBEY