Statement by Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs
on the events in Egypt
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, January 28, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on the events in Egypt.
Last night developments in Egypt took a new turn with the authorities closing down the Internet to an almost unprecedented extent.
I have not been able to come up with any previous example of this happening other than in Burma in 2007.
Obviously, the future of Egypt cannot be shaped by closing the Internet – instead it must be shaped by opening up the political system.
As I have previously mentioned, the presidential election in September this year is of vital importance.
In a situation like the one in Egypt, closing down the Internet may be downright dangerous.
In the long run, free access to information is better for confidence and stability than restrictions and prohibitions. Measures such as this that aim at short-term stability may very well lead to more long-term suppression.
SOURCE
Sweden – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
