Currently, blogging arrests are at a record high, the BBC reports. 64 bloggers have been detained from mostly China, Egypt and Iran since 2003 according to a University of Washington annual report. In 2006-2007, the number of arrested bloggers tripled to 36.

Blogging has a "political importance", since issues include exposure of corruption, human rights violations, "suppression of protests", criticism of public policies and questioning political entities. Arrests tend to multiply during times of "political uncertainty" such as during elections.

A World Information Access (WIA) report concluded that imprisonment usually follows arrest. The report says that 15 months is the average prison sentence, the longest being eight years.

The Committee to Protect Bloggers claims that 344 people were detained as a result of blogging in Burma, even though WIA cannot confirm.

Around 30 countries worldwide implement restrictions on online activities. According to the report, restrictions on blogging also take place in Canada, France, Britain and the US.

Elections in China, Pakistan, Iran and the US make it more likely that the number of bloggers arrested will increase.

Source: BBC News though I Want Media