Declaration
in Support of the Indymedia Network
and Against the Seizure of its Servers

Verified Signatures:   11357

PETITION ENDS: 07-Nov-04

Preface:

Indymedia is a global media network that provides open space to publish challenging, independent reporting, with emphasis on political and social justice issues. The Indymedia network is based upon principled mutual aid and voluntary participation, maintaining openly accessible newswires with the capacity for anyone to publish texts, images, audio, and video.

On 7 October, 2004, hard drives from two Indymedia servers were seized from the London office of a US-owned web hosting company, Rackspace, at the request of the US Justice Department, apparently in collaboration with Italian and Swiss authorities.

The seizure of the hard drives in London shut down an Indymedia radio station and around 20 different Indymedia websites including those serving Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille, Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen, Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, UK, and parts of Germany Indymedia.

Although the hard drives were returned on October 13, the particular legal framework under which the seizures took place is unknown. One week after the seizures there is still an almost total information blackout from the authorities in the UK, US, Switzerland and Italy. Indymedia still has no confirmation of who ordered the seizures, who took the hard drives, why the seizures took place, or whether it will happen again.

In response, people all over the world have endorsed the following Declaration:

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We, the Undersigned,

• Denounce the seizure of the Indymedia hard drives as an unacceptable attack on press freedom, free speech and privacy;

• Condemn this action as a violation of communication rights, as expressed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: "Everyone has the right to the freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

• Voice concern over the growing use of international cooperation frameworks by governments and law enforcement agencies to obscure clear legal process, undermine civil liberties, and erode communication rights.

Against the seizure of the Indymedia servers and the attempt to impose silence:

• We request a full disclosure of the names of organizations and individuals involved in the seizure, a copy of the subpoena, and an investigation into the legality of the action by an independent party;

• We insist that all copies of the seized data be deleted or returned to Indymedia, and that Indymedia be provided with a list of organizations and individuals who have had access to the data held on the hard drives as a result of the seizure;

• We call for openness and clarity in international cooperation agreements, and that these agreements ensure due process, protect privacy and free speech, and respect communication rights;

• We demand that the responsible parties be held accountable

TO BE DELIVERED TO:

The Rt Hon David Blunkett, MP (UK);

Attorney General John Ashcroft (USA);

The Director of the FBI;

The US Department of State;

Appropriate officials in the government of Italy;

Appropriate officials in the government of Switzerland.

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