Misplaced Pages

There are five known cases of Misplaced Pages editors being imprisoned for contributing to the free-content online encyclopedia.

By country

Belarus

Mark Bernstein (Марк Израйлевич Бернштейн), a Belarusian editor of the Russian Misplaced Pages, was detained on 11 March 2022 for violating the Russian 2022 war censorship laws by editing Misplaced Pages articles about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and sentenced to 15 days detention and three years of restricted freedom.

Pavel Pernikaŭ (Павел Аляксандравіч Пернікаў), a Belarusian editor of the Belarusian Misplaced Pages, was sentenced on 7 April 2022 to two years in a penal colony for online postings "discrediting the Republic of Belarus" including two edits to Misplaced Pages about political repression in Belarus.

Saudi Arabia

Osama Khalid (أسامة خالد), a Saudi Arabian former administrator of the Arabic Misplaced Pages, was sentenced to five years imprisonment in September 2020 for "swaying public opinion" and "violating public morals" by making edits "critical about the persecution of political activists in the country." Khalid's sentence was increased to 32 years in September 2022 as part of a campaign to lengthen the sentences of political detainees, according to Democracy for the Arab World Now and SMEX, a Lebanese non-governmental organization.

Ziyad al-Sofiani (زياد السفياني), also a former administrator of the Arabic Misplaced Pages, was likewise charged with "swaying public opinion" and "violating public morals" by making edits "critical about the persecution of political activists in the country." He was sentenced in September 2020 to eight years in prison.

Syria

Bassel Khartabil (باسل خرطبيل) was a contributor to a number of open-source projects including Misplaced Pages; his arrest in 2012 was likely connected to his online activity. He was executed at Adra Prison near Damascus in 2015. Several organizations, including the Wikimedia Foundation, established the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship in his honor in 2017, for an initial period of three years.

See also

• Censorship of Misplaced Pages
• List of Misplaced Pages people
• Pierre-sur-Haute military radio station § Censorship on Misplaced Pages and unwanted attention
• Political prisoner

Notes

1. Also spelt Pavel Pernikov when transliterated from Павел Перников

References

1. "Belarusian Blogger Handed Parole-Like Sentence". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-06-25.
2. Song, Victoria (11 March 2022). "A top Misplaced Pages editor has been arrested in Belarus". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
3. "В Беларуси задержали Марка Бернштейна — активиста и популяризатора интернет-энциклопедии Misplaced Pages.org" [Mark Bernstein – an activist and populariser of the online encyclopedia Misplaced Pages – was detained in Belarus]. Zerkalo.io (in Russian). 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
4. "В Беларуси редактора "Википедии" приговорили к 2 годам колонии по статье о "дискредитации" страны" [In Belarus, the editor of "Misplaced Pages" was sentenced to 2 years in prison under an article about "discrediting" the country]. Current Time TV (in Russian). 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
5. "В Беларуси редактора "Википедии" приговорили к 2 годам колонии за правки в статьях о протестах" [Misplaced Pages editor sentenced to 2 years in prison in Belarus for editing articles about protests]. Esquire (Russian edition) (in Russian). 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
6. "Редактора Википедии из Бреста приговорили к двум годам колонии за правки к статьям, "дискредитирующие Белоруссию"" [Misplaced Pages editor from Brest sentenced to two years in prison for editing articles “discrediting Belarus”]. Fontanka.ru (in Russian). 7 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
7. ^ Belanger, Ashley (6 January 2023). "Misplaced Pages admin jailed for 32 years after alleged Saudi spy infiltration". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
8. ^ "Saudi Arabia jails two Misplaced Pages staff in 'bid to control content'". The Guardian. 5 January 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Wikidata Q116039713.
9. ^ "Saudi Arabia 'infiltrated' Misplaced Pages to control content, activists say". Middle East Eye. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
10. "Bassel Khartabil: Syrian internet freedom activist 'executed'". BBC News. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
11. Maher, Katherine; Merkley, Ryan; Surman, Mark (11 August 2017). "Honoring our friend Bassel: Announcing the Bassel Khartabil Free Culture Fellowship". Diff. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-03-15.

• Lists about Misplaced Pages
• Lists of prisoners and detainees
• Political prisoners
• Misplaced Pages people
• Censorship of Misplaced Pages