Image of the notice banning the iPhone Syrian officials are handing out to activists.
The Syrian government has banned the iPhone in an attempt to prevent protesters from filming the increasingly violent clashes between the government and activists.
The Syrian conflict, inspired by the Arab Spring, has been going on for eight months and shows no signs of slowing down. November proved to be the deadliest month in an already horrific timeline with nearly 1,000 people killed. The United Nations estimates the conflict has claimed more than 4,000 lives since its inception. However, these numbers could be far greater, as Syria has prevented nearly all foreign media and other entities from entering or staying in the country.
Because of the Syrian government's efforts to prevent the outside world from covering the protests and the government's subsequent atrocities, those protesting have relied on cell phones and other handheld devices to capture images and movies of the uprising. The Syrian Finance Ministry’s Customs Department is serving activists with notices reading “The authorities warn anyone against using the iPhone in Syria.” It isn’t known if other smartphones will be impacted by the government's efforts to prevent citizen journalism, but it seems very likely. The crackdown is a blatant effort by the Syrian government to prevent the uprising from gaining further traction within the country and abroad.
However, the activists’ efforts have already resulted in political pressure and economic sanctions from Syria’s allies, neighbors, the U.N. and pretty much everyone not themselves. Hopefully the Syrian people can withstand the brutal assault from their own government and persevere.
Source: The Next Web
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