Dot coms behind bars

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Of all the things a man accused of inciting genocide could smuggle into a jail cell, a computer modem would seem low on the list. Yet that’s what UN officials seized from Hassan Ngeze, who ran a Web site from prison he used to denounce the international judges hearing his case.

Recent Must Reads

2/7 – Youth, liberalism ascend in Syria

2/6 – Bad British blood on the loose

2/3 – Society for the prevention of breast humor

2/2 – Print it and they will kill you

Ngeze was the editor of the Rwandan newspaper which published the Hutu Ten Commandments, a document that encouraged massive violence against the Tutsis, reports the GUARDIAN (UK). He has legal access to a telephone, fax, and personal computer in jail, which he has been using to attack the international court over the Internet. The Web site — with long defamations of the judges and photographs of Ngeze working out inside the prison — is registered under his name, but the UN has been unable to shut it down because it’s monitored by an outside supporter.

Ngeze has refused to attend his trial, alleging the judges are conspiring against him with the support of the Tutsi-led Rwandan government, and that the prosecution witnesses are lying.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate