Coverage of 2022 bans reveals editors serving long sentences in Saudi Arabia since 2020: Long-time contributors imprisoned for 32 and 8 years after "swaying public opinion" and "violating public morals".
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Osama organized this Wikipedia medical training and editing event at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in 2015
Ziyad uploaded this picture of himself to Commons in 2015, with the description "Arabic Wikipedian".
Sarah Leah Whitson, the Executive Director of DAWN, is a former director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch.
Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported on alleged manipulation of Farsi Wikipedia content by Iran's government in 2019. The WMF says concerns expressed about the Farsi Wikipedia a few years ago eventually led to its 2022 investigation that resulted in 16 global bans in December 2022, including bans of seven Arabic Wikipedia administrators
The Arabic Wikipedia community has condemned the WMF action, arguing the bans are at odds with the model of decentralized governance that the Foundation always talks about.
Vinicius Siqueira, Osama Khalid, Netha Hussain, Emily Temple-Wood, Anthony Cole, Jake Orlowitz, Daniel Mietchen, Lane Rasberry, James Heilman and Peter Coti (clockwise starting front left) at a WikiProject Med meetup at the 2013 Hong Kong Wikimania conference
Discuss this story
From what I remember reading on the Arabic Wikipedia discussion about the bans, there were a significant number of other editors there making blatantly pro-SA government statements and were angry at the editor accounts being banned in relation to that. I have concerns that the Arabic (and possibly Persian) language Wikipedia communities are entirely subsumed by blatantly biased pro-government accounts. Because the reason for the bans was never a mystery to anyone, not seriously. Even if the WMF has been trying to be vague about it all. Even this very Signpost article is quite clear and direct on the fact that we all know that the banned accounts were people working directly for the SA government in order to push their own personal views of events and to downplay the ongoing human rights atrocities that Saudi Arabia's administration is committing. With our unfortunate two editors discussed above being only a single example among many. SilverserenC 05:43, 16 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I've said this before, but I believe that if there's any way for the WMF to use its considerable funds and influence to promote the spread of free knowledge in autocratic nations, then that should be one of its highest priorities. Free knowledge is why we're here. We as the Wikipedia communities, regardless of language, should be some of Khalid and Alsufyani's strongest advocates. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 17:38, 16 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Do we have a mainspace article on this? DFlhb (talk) 18:30, 16 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for this report, and closing on the most important note. "But the most pressing question is perhaps what we, as a movement, can do to help Osama and Ziyad. [...] According to DAWN Executive Director Sarah Leah Whitson, who discussed the case with The Signpost, campaigning for their release at this point, over two years into their sentences, is very unlikely to do them harm, and may do some good." Does a nascent campaign exist? Is there anywhere to donate funds or efforts? Mike Linksvayer (talk) 20:18, 16 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting that Arabic Wikipedia doesn't support the bans. Trust and Safety's lack of transparency is creating several issues here. Trust and Safety should consider releasing more information. –Novem Linguae (talk) 07:46, 18 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Democracy Now! interview with Sarah Leah Whitson (17 January 2023)
This interview discusses further details of the above story: "From Infiltrating Wikipedia to Paying Trump Millions in Golf Deals, Saudis Whitewash Rights Record" Andreas JN466 22:25, 17 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
If these users' country of residence was a concern, they could have asked them to relinquish their accesses. The way this issue has been handled is a total mess, and shows a blatant lack of respect from the Wikimedia for the user community who spend countless hours to build these projects. If there are risks to users, it must be clearly and specifically communicated. Transparency has been non-existent and creates a toxic environment and undermines sense of collaboration in Wikimedia projects. Drako (talk) 21:27, 27 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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