<span word="BBC">BBCspan> <span word="News">Newsspan> <span word="with">withspan> <span word="Jim">Jimspan> <span word="Lee">Leespan>.
<span word="The">Thespan> <span word="United">Unitedspan> <span word="States">Statesspan> <span word="government">governmentspan> <span word="is">isspan> <span word="giving">givingspan> $25 <span word="million">millionspan> <span word="this">thisspan> <span word="year">yearspan> <span word="to">tospan> <span word="help">helpspan> <span word="political">politicalspan>
<span word="dissident">dissidentspan>
s
get around
repression
of the internet in
autocratic
countries. The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook,
gave voice to
people’s aspirations, and there was no turning back from an increasingly networked society.
“The United States continues to help people in oppressive internet environments get around filters, stay one step ahead of the censors, the hackers and the thugs who beat them up or imprison them for what they say online. While the rights we seek to protect and support are clear, the various ways that these rights are violated are increasingly complex.”
In the past few weeks, anti-government protests organised via the Internet and mobile phones have swept the Middle East and forced the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt from power.
President Obama has sharply criticised Iran, saying that while the authorities there celebrated the fall of the Mubarak government in Egypt, they’d attacked and beaten their own citizens who’d held peaceful demonstrations. Mr Obama said he hoped protesters there would have the courage to continue expressing their
yearn
ing for greater freedom. From Washington, here’s Kim Ghattas.
President Barrack Obama came out in strong support of anti-government protesters in Tehran. Mr Obama also issued a direct appeal to autocratic rulers in the Arab world to look at Egypt’s example and listen to the needs of their people. “The world is changing”, said the American president, and leaders have to “get out ahead of the change”. They can’t be “