[liberationtech] Kazakhstan

[Rebecca MacKinnon]

Some members of this list may have seen news of the government crackdown in Kazakhstan. 

http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/12/17/kazakhstan-investigate-violence-oil-rich-western-region
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/17/us-kazakhstan-clashes-idUSTRE7BG08D20111217

Excerpt from the HRW report:
"The government has apparently shut down access to at least some mobile, voice, and text services in Zhanaozen. By late afternoon, Human Rights Watch could no longer reach workers by mobile phone, and access to Twitter.com and other news sites reporting on the unrest had been blocked by the authorities. bWithout a means to communicate with the outside world, people in Zhanaozen are extremely vulnerable,b Rittmann said."

Is anybody aware of efforts to set up dial-up access, satellite internet access, ad hoc radio or wireless networks  or anything for Kazakhstan? I'm hearing rumors (unconfirmed) that shutdown of Internet and some mobile services may extend beyond Zhanaozen. 

If anybody is aware of any efforts underway please let me know either on or off-list. I know some people who may be interested in supporting such efforts but they don't know who to approach.

Cheers,
Rebecca



--
Rebecca MacKinnon
Schwartz Senior Fellow, New America Foundation
Cofounder: GlobalVoicesOnline.org
Author: ConsentoftheNetworked.com
Office: +1-202-596-3343
Twitter: @rmack





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