October 12 2004

According to the Association of Progressive Communicatons, or APC, "actions by US and European law enforcement agencies to seize independent online news service Indymedia's web servers...led to the closure of more than 21 of the more than 140 Indymedia web sites worldwide" in the period of October 7-12 2004.

APC claims that "None of the agencies involved has admitted or provided reasons for the seizure though Rackspace, the company which provided web hosting for the sites and handed the servers over to law enforcers..."

According to its website, APC is "an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting groups and individuals working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment, through the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the internet." Its response to the trend reported in this article is as follows: "'We are disturbed by the apparently arbitrary and extreme measures taken to silence an independent internet-based source of information,' said Anriette Esterhuysen, APC’s Executive Director. 'This is a violation of freedom of expression across international frontiers.'"

Letter posted to the APCNews list server on October 12 2004; and APC website.