In 2003, four young Chinese men were handed out prison sentences due to their participation in the online forum New Youth Study Group, which discussed ways in which China might advance and prosper. They were charged with subverting state power and given sentences of between 8 and 10 years. Friends of these young men started the New Youth 4 group to try to get their friends out of prison.

Across the world, something was happening that New Youth 4 coordinator thought could have a direct effect on what he was doing in China. In February 2007, the Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer was sentenced to four years in prison for statements against the Egyptian government which he made in his blog. A group of passionate activists from around the world created www.freekareem.org and began campaigning for his release. The campaign, which has included coordinated international rallies and frequent contact with the mainstream media, has set the benchmark for international citizen-led web campaigns.

The New Youth 4 team immediately saw the connection. "It was from watching the success of freekareem.org that we began to think that we could make a difference here in China. I contacted some friends who knew the people behind Freekareem.org and they seemed to understand at once how important our project in China was."

Within days of hearing about the New Youth 4 case, the Free Kareem team had built a New Youth 4 website, www.newyouth4.org. Not only did the Free Kareem team believe in the NY4 cause, they also saw the value of creating international digital activist networks. Said Free Kareem coordinator Esra'a, "Networking is extremely powerful. Today these Chinese activists need our help, tomorrow we might need theirs. We help each other and that will strengthen our campaigns and hopefully help us achieve our goals"

These are the kinds of partnerships that can change the world: activists from across the globe sharing resources and creating relationships. I'd like to see this story repeated millions of times over until there is a dense network connecting all the world's digital activists.

Sources: Free the New Youth 4 About page, Free Kareem About page, The Daily Star