When protesters in Iran used twitter, it was seen as a good thing.
When protesters in Pittsburgh used twitter, they were arrested.
Rights activists see double standard in Twitter arrest
By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The arrest of a New Yorker for using Twitter to alert protesters to police movements at a meeting of world leaders in Pittsburgh last month would be deemed a human rights violation if it happened in Iran or China, rights activists charge.
Pittsburgh police arrested Elliot Madison, 41, on September 24 as hundreds of people -- some throwing rocks and breaking shop windows -- protested on the first day of a summit of the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.
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"The same conduct (of authorities) in Iran or China during recent demonstrations would be called human right violations whereas here it's called necessary crime control," Vic Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, told Reuters. "It's a real double standard."
Twitter was used by protesters in Iran amid the protests and government clampdown that followed the country's disputed June elections. At one point, the U.S. State Department even urged Twitter to delay a planned upgrade that would have temporarily cut service to Iran.
China has blocked access to online sites such as Twitter several times, including in May ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown and again in July following ethnic unrest in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
Pittsburgh police, asked about what was illegal about Madison's actions, noted the charge that Madison was hindering apprehension or prosecution by law enforcement.
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