Stories about Censorship from March, 2015
Another Blogger Hacked to Death: Is Free Thinking Becoming Fatal in Bangladesh?
A young man named Oyasiqur Rahman Babu was killed in Bangladesh by religious fanatics in the second such incident in a month's time.
China: Uyghur Couple Convicted of Violating “Abnormal Appearances” Rule for Wearing Beard, Burqa
The 38-year-old husband, member of China's Muslim minority Uyghur community, has been sentenced to six years in prison. Online reporting about the case has since been censored.
News and Search Websites Blocked in Yemen as Conflict Escalates
Several websites, some of which include content critical of the Houthi takeover in Yemen, have been blocked by Yemen's largest ISP.
Pakistani Journalist and Blogger Remains in Exile, One Year After Violent Attack
March 28 marks the first anniversary of the attack on Pakistani blogger and prominent political commentator Raza Rumi. Once a contributor to Global Voices, Rumi was added to the Taliban's hit list after he opposed government peace talks with the militant group in 2014. His moderate views also have been misinterpreted...
Belarus Tightens Grip on Internet With New Data Retention Decree
The new data retention demands are just the latest in a string of restrictive Internet measures employed by Belarus in the wake of the next presidential election.
India's Supreme Court Axes Online Censorship Law, But Challenges Remain
People in India are cheering after the Indian Supreme Court struck down IT Act Section 66A, calling it a violation of free expression.
Chinese Artist Recounts Being Censored for Selling Ai Weiwei T-Shirt
Artist Wu Tun saw economic rights collide with online censorship when he tried to sell a T-shirt supporting world renowned political artist Ai Weiwei.
Macedonian Journalist Describes How It Feels to Be Subject of State Surveillance
Prominent investigative journalist Meri Jordanovska wrote a testimony about her experience on receiving evidence that she was one of allegedly twenty thousand individuals who have been subjected to state surveillance in Macedonia. In an op-ed on Balkan Insight, Jordanovska explains: Each report on one of my wiretapped conversations was true:...
Russia Will Deploy “Digital Fingerprinting” to Enforce Copyright Online
A new intellectual property register, based on the principle of digital fingerprinting, is in the works in Russia to track and protect copyrighted files online.
Internet in Iran: Evaluating Rouhani’s First Two Years as President
Has Rouhani lived up to lofty expectations of more Internet freedom in Iran? This is the question Small Media's latest report seeks to address.
In China, Online Game Has To Comply With Laws in Real Life
An online game designer, Xu Youzhen revealed in his Weibo that the Chinese authorities require that childbearing in his company's video games comply with family planning. The guideline was issued by Internet Culture Office, Bureau of Culture Markets in their powerpoint explanation of “Ministry of Culture's Online Game Content Censorship...
Government Takedown Requests from Russia Double, Facebook Reports
Facebook restricted access to 55 pieces of content in Russia since July 2014, based on requests from Russian authorities, compared to 29 fulfilled during the first half of 2014.
Human Rights Watch Website Temporarily Blocked at Egypt the Future Conference
A block on Human Rights Watch website was lifted at an economic conference in Egypt after a journalist raised the alarm on Twitter.
Bahrain Court Postpones Human Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab's Case to April 15
A Bahrain court today [March 15, 2015] postponed its verdict in an appeal made by leading Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab against a six-month prison sentence until April 15. The case concerns comments he made about ISIS on Twitter. Rajab was initially convicted of “denigrating an official body” in tweets that...
Ukrainian Journalist Detained, Questioned by Russian Security Services in Crimea
Crimean FSB officials detained and questioned a journalist from Simferopol's Center for Investigative Journalism in connection with a criminal investigation on "public calls to separatism."
Access to Grani.Ru and Other Censored News Websites Restored by Digital Activists
As part of Operation Collateral Freedom, activists used the technique known as mirroring to duplicate the nine censored sites and place their copies on the servers of large Internet companies
The Ban on “India’s Daughter” Brings India’s Sons into Focus
The documentary about the horrific 2012 Delhi rape case wasn't perfect, but any thoughtful critiques were shoved aside when India's government banned the film and asked YouTube to block it.
Political Pollution Polarizes Public Opinion Over China's Environmental Crisis
Within more politicized circles of online opinion leaders, there has also been a myriad of criticism heaped on Chai Jing’s air pollution documentary "Under the Dome".
Roscomnadzor Threatens Complete Block of RuNet Encyclopedia
Russian telecom watchdog Roscomnadzor wants to block pages about "drugs and child porn" on RuNet culture encyclopedia Lurkmore.ru, but will instead block the entire website, because it uses https encryption.
More than 200 Academics Sign Statement Supporting Anti-Junta Professor in Thailand
More than 200 academics from all over the world have signed a statement expressing support to historian and college professor Dr Somsak Jeamteerasakul who was recently fired by Thammasat University. The Thai scholar, who has been teaching for two decades, is critical of the junta government which grabbed power last...
#FragaWantsToPost: A Brazilian Activist Has Been Forbidden From Protesting for Two Years
Ricardo Fraga’s right to protest has been legally suspended for the last 728 days. He cannot post or mention anything about the high-rise construction project that is changing his neighborhood.
