25 investment funds will monitor Net-firms in repressive regimes [fs]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Generally so-called "socially responsible" funds don't perform as well 
as "sin funds" that invest in booze, gambling concerns, and so on. I 
wouldn't put my money in them. But they certainly have the right to move 
their money around as they see fit, and this seems to me to be a far 
more effective and efficient method of oversight than government action. 
--Declan]


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Press conference : 25 investment funds agree to monitor 
operations of Internet businesses in repressive regime countries
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2005 11:42:23 +0200
From: RSF.Internet <internet () rsf org>
To: declan () well com

Hi Declan,
What do you think of this initiative? (we're not
asking governmental intervention...)
Do you think you could circulate the information?
Best,
Julien

INVITATION

Reporters Without Borders / Internet Freedom desk


PRESS CONFERENCE (New York)

Monday, November 7, 2005, at 11.30 a.m.
Overseas Press Club
40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036

Corporate Responsibility and Freedom of Expression

Concerned by allegations that some U.S. companies
in the Internet sector are cooperating with
authoritarian governments to censor speech and
imprison dissidents, and by recent revelations of
the role allegedly played by Yahoo! in the prison
sentencing of a Chinese journalist,

A group of 25 investment managers, research
houses, foundations, and religious investors have
called on Internet businesses to publicly state
support for freedom of expression world wide and
agreed to monitor operations of Internet
businesses in repressive regime countries

Following Reporters Without Borders' lead, 25
North American, European, and Australian
investment funds and other organizations, who
collectively represent over 21 billion dollars
under management, have endorsed a joint statement
in which they affirm their commitment to freedom
of expression on the Internet, and in which they
agree, among other things, to monitor business
practices being implemented in repressive
countries by Internet-sector companies.

At the press conference, the two firms that have
supported Reporters Without Borders' joint
statement from the start - Boston Common Asset
Management, LLC and Domini Social Investments
LLC, will explain why their respective
institutions  are committed to the principles of
the declaration and the business risks that face
IT sector companies that collaborate to suppress
freedom of opinion and expression. They will also
discuss some of the concrete implications of this
statement.

For the first time in the United States, Lu Kun,
the wife of Chinese cyberdissident Yang Zili,
will attest to the fate awaiting dissident
Internet users and website managers in her
country. In May 2003, her husband was sentenced
to 8 years in prison for creating an Internet
website advocating democracy - a case reminiscent
of the one involving Shi Tao, who received a 10
year prison sentence in April for posting data
considered to be a "State secret" on an Internet
website based in the US. The Chinese police
managed to identify the journalist based on
information provided by the Internet server
hosting his e-mail account: Yahoo !

The text of the investor statement will be
distributed at the press conference, together
with the complete list of co-signers.

Guest Speakers:

- Dawn Wolfe, Social Research and Advocacy
Analyst, Boston Common Asset Management, LLC;
- Adam M. Kanzer, Director of Shareholder
Advocacy, Domini Social Investments LLC;
- Lu Kun, the wife of imprisoned cyberdissident Yang Zili
- Julien Pain, Head of the Internet Freedom Desk, Reporters Without Borders.

If you wish to plan to attend, please contact:
Lucie Morillon, Washington Representative,
lucie.morillon () rsf org, cell phone: (202) 256-5613
Or Julien Pain, internet () rsf org, 33 1 44 83 84 71

------------------------------
CONFERENCE DE PRESSE (New York)

Lundi 7 novembre 2005, à 11h30
Overseas Press Club
40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036

Responsabilité des entreprises et liberté d'expression

Préoccupés par la collaboration de certaines
entreprises américaines du secteur de l'Internet
avec des gouvernements autoritaires, et alarmés
par les récentes révélations concernant
l'implication de Yahoo ! dans la condamnation
d'un journaliste chinois,

25 fonds d'investissement et cabinets d'analyse
financière s'engagent à surveiller l'activité des
entreprises du secteur de l'Internet dans les
pays répressifs

  A l'initiative de Reporters sans frontières, 25
fonds d'investissement nord-américains,
australiens et européens, qui gèrent près de 21
milliards de dollars d'actifs, ont signé une
déclaration commune dans laquelle ils affirment
leur engagement en faveur de la liberté
d'expression sur le Web et s'engagent, entre
autres, à surveiller l'activité des entreprises
du secteur de l'Internet dans les pays répressifs.

Lors de la conférence de presse, les deux fonds
ayant soutenu le projet de Reporters sans
frontières depuis son origine, Boston Common
Asset Management LLC et Domini Social Investment
LLC, expliqueront pourquoi leurs organisations
ont souhaité s'engager sur ce sujet. Ils
détailleront également les implications concrètes
de cette déclaration.

L'épouse du cyberdissident chinois Yang Zili, Lu
Kun, témoignera, pour la première fois aux
Etats-Unis, du sort des internautes et des
responsables de sites dans son pays. En mai 2003,
son mari a été condamné à huit ans de prison pour
avoir créé un site Internet prônant la démocratie
; une affaire qui rappelle celle de Shi Tao,
condamné en juin dernier à dix ans de prison pour
avoir publié des informations considérées comme
"secret d'Etat" sur un site Internet basé aux
Etats-unis. Ce journaliste a été identifié par la
police chinoise grâce à des informations fournies
par l'hébergeur de son compte e-mail : Yahoo !

Le texte de la déclaration des fonds
d'investissement sera distribué lors de la
conférence de presse, ainsi que la liste complète
des signataires.

Les intervenants :

- Dawn Wolfe, responsable de la recherche sur
l'investissement éthique chez Boston Common Asset
Management LLC;
- Adam Kenzer, directeur des investissements
éthiques chez Domini Social Investments LLC
- Lu Kun, femme du cyberdissident emprisonné Yang Zili
(voir : http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11649).
- Julien Pain, responsable du bureau Internet et
libertés de Reporters sans frontières

Merci de confirmer votre venue à :
Lucie Morillon, Washington Representative,
lucie.morillon () rsf org, cell : (202) 256-5613
Ou Julien Pain, internet () rsf org, 33 (0) 1 44 83 84 71


--
Julien Pain
Bureau Internet et libertés / Internet Freedom desk
___________________________________________

Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders
TEL: ++ 33 (0) 1 44 83 84 71
FAX: ++ 33 (0) 1 45 23 11 51
internet () rsf org
www.internet.rsf.org

Read our handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents :
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542

Consultez notre guide du blogger et du cyberdissident :
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=527
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