Senator Sam Brownback to hold press conference on Thursday, March 17, 11:00am SVC room 202/203.
Washington, D.C. — Leading human rights and democracy advocates from China, Iran, and other countries with oppressive Internet censorship will speak in support of Senator Brownback’s call for immediate action by the State Department on awarding Internet freedom grants based on merit and the probability for immediate and measurable results.
Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) will host the Thursday morning press conference at the Capitol Visitors Center (see advisory below) to publicly call for more aggressive State Department action that supports Secretary Clinton’s January 21st speech on Internet freedom with actions that can produce immediate and measurable results. Among the speakers expressing support for the Senator’s call are Iranian activist, Miriam Memarsadeghi, Yang Kuanxing, noted Chinese writer, editor, and original signatory to Charter 08, the manifesto calling for political reform in China and published on the Internet on December 2008, and Alim Seytoff, Vice President of the Uyghur American Association. “I completely support the Senators’ call for investing funds in technologies that we know work and which can be scaled-up quickly to overwhelm these firewalls. With a little financial support we can put so many holes in the firewalls they will cease to exist” said Mr. Yang.
“This conference will highlight the exceptional opportunity for America to help tear down these onerous firewalls that block the free flow of information and prevent people from sharing ideas that is crucial for a vibrant and free society, remarked Jim Geheran, Director of Initiatives for China. “I commend Senator Brownback for his courageous call for action.”
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Immediate Release
March 17, 2010
Contact: Brian Hart or Becky Ogilvie
Brownback Press Conference to Call for More Aggressive Support for Global Internet Freedom
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sam Brownback on Thursday, March 18, will hold a press conference to highlight the need for the United States State Department to more aggressively support unfettered, uncensored access to the Internet in Iran and China.
Brownback will be joined by former U.S. Ambassador Mark Palmer; Yang Kuanxing, editor of Yibao China, a weekly online magazine; and Miriam Memarsadeghi, an Iranian human rights activist.
Internet Freedom Press Conference
Thursday, March 18
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern
SVC room 202/203 (located on the Senate side of the Capitol Visitor Center)
Scheduled to speak:
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Ambassador Mark Palmer
Yang Kuanxing
Miriam Memarsadeghi
OPEN TO PUBLIC AND MEDIA