A Harbor of Democracy – the Northern Light

All over the world governments try to silence the press and their citizens. But in the Republic of Iceland the leaders make a pact with its voters. Free press – Free information – free citizens.

The “Wikileaks bill” or “Island 2010 Act” is something like the first step to the second Age of Enlightenment: Combining some laws of Sweden, Denmark and Holland the northern island will be the first nation where the press and its whistle-blowers are protected by a special bill. Iceland is becoming the first “free-port for information”.

Everything started in spring 2009.

Wikileaks has made available an internal document from “Kautping Bank“, the seventh largest bank in the Nordic countries, from just prior to the collapse of Iceland’s banking sector, which led to the “Iceland financial crisis” in 2008/2009.

The document shows that suspiciously large sums of money were loaned to various owners of the bank, and large debts written off. The leak has caused an uproar in Iceland and may result in criminal charges against the individuals involved.

The Wikileaks Staff becomes something like little heroes in Iceland and were invited to several TV and Radio Shows.

Due Wikileaks prior activities – like publishing the Guantanamo Bay procedures, the Internet censorship lists, the Pero oil scandal in 2008 or the “Minton report” (toxic dumping in Africa) – the public in Iceland wanted to back up what these girls and boys are doing. Tho they asked their government for help – for a new bill that would protect the work of Wikileaks. The Idea of the “Island 2010 Act” was born.

The Government is willing to sign the law. To lit up the flame of democracy and freedom again. Or, like an Wikileaks activist recently said, to “Never waste a crisis!”.

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The Photo is released under a Creative Commons Lizens (by.2.0) by “Kevin“