MARCH and bloggers fight censorship

BEIRUT: You have the right not to remain silent, says MARCH, an NGO that is fighting media censorship and teaching young people how to use their right to freedom of expression as a basis for peaceful coexistence.

The problem is that people in Lebanon dont know their duties or rights as citizens, said Lea Baroudi, co-founder and general coordinator of MARCH. We realized that freedom of expression is the right which accompanies all civic rights, and decided to start with the basics.

Founded in 2011, MARCH aims to create an empowered civil society, the cornerstone of which is reconciliation of differences and fostering of respect between various groups, through freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression is the catalyst for tolerance, Baroudi added. We have to learn how to agree to disagree.

Hand in hand with the NGOs FREE initiative (Freedom and Right of Expression Events), which includes around-the-year workshops, conferences and distribution of newsletters tackling basic civil rights, is its fight against media censorship.

MARCH set up The Virtual Museum of Censorship (MOC), an interactive online database of censorship cases in Lebanon since the 1940s. The website provides information about the content, date and reason of censorship for material across different categories; press, books, theater, music and more.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle, says the MOC website, which offers individuals a platform to report cases of censorship to be added to the database of censored material.

The 2013 international Press Freedom Index proves the bleak reality of Lebanons censorship authorities. According to the index, published by Reporters Without Borders, Lebanon dropped eight places since last years report and now ranks at 101, below countries such as Guatemala, Mongolia and Kosovo.

General Security, the Information Ministry, the Interior Ministry all have a say in what gets published, Baroudi said. Then there are the unofficial authorities: religious entities, political parties and foreign embassies all can apply pressure.

Aiming to expand their network of volunteers and engaged citizens, MARCH is in the process of creating student clubs in universities such as the American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University, Saint Joseph University and Notre Dame University, among others.

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MARCH and bloggers fight censorship