Stories about Censorship from July, 2021
Who’s trying to silence the fearless voice of Sri Lankan journalist Tharindu Jayawardhana?
One of Sri Lanka’s most promising young journalists is facing intimidation following his reporting on the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
The Georgian Dream Party’s anti-media crusade continues
Following the homophobic, anti-journalist riots on July 5, the Georgian government officials accused of inciting the violence have gone on the offensive against journalists.
Hong Kong Pro-Beijing camp finds fault with Olympic badminton player's black outfit
In Hong Kong, the hottest topic about the Tokoyo 2020 Olympic Games in recent days has been badminton player Angus Ng Ka-Long’s monochrome black outfit.
Cubans want more than just the lifting of the US blockade
"I dare to say that Cuba is facing the worst crisis in its history, becoming a humanitarian crisis similar to the one that Venezuela has gone through in recent years."
Russian internet censor blocks Team Navalny websites
Navalny's main website, navalny.com, as well as over 40 other webpages for Navalny's national network of campaign offices were added to Roskomnadzor's state registry for blocked websites.
Government announces new media regulations that could further constrain freedom of expression in Turkey
A number of government statements issued this week in Turkey signal a further decline on media freedom.
Global investigation reveals Pegasus Project identified in Azerbaijan and elsewhere
Around 1,000 phone numbers belonging to users in Azerbaijan were identified, among them, prominent journalists, editors, rights defenders, lawyers, political activists, as well as their friends and family members.
Devices of journalists, government officials in Kazakhstan hacked and spied on
Journalist Serikzhan Mauletbai found himself on a list of people targeted by Israeli-made spyware the government of Kazakhstan bought. The current president and prime minister are also on the list.
Team 29, Russia's most prominent legal defense group, shuts down under state pressure
On July 19, after its website was blocked, Team 29 announced it was shutting down its operations in order to protect its staff and clients from possible criminal prosecution.
Street art protest in Kazakhstan becomes routine
Since Nazarbayev’s resignation in 2019, new protest movements in Kazakhstan have chosen street art as their preferred tactic. In this case, the target is a public utility hut in Almaty.
‘Courage is accumulative,’ said director of Hong Kong protest documentary at 2021 Cannes Festival
"This is a paradox, only if I stay in Hong Kong I can enjoy freedom, a freedom to overcome fear."
State escalates attacks on media freedom and civil society in Belarus
Since the start of July, dozens of civil society organisations and independent media outlets in Belarus have faced law enforcement raids, searches and staff detentions.
Twitter Japan appears to suspend government critics
Twitter Japan typically provides no explanation for the bans, or why accounts are restored.
July arrests mark turn for the worse in Vietnam
Among those arrested were two relatively unknown individuals with hardly any history of pro-democracy activism.
From Cuba, with VPN
“I realized what was happening and immediately thought that in a few minutes the internet service in Cuba, or at least in San Antonio de los Baños, would be interrupted.”
Social media became a life-saving tool for Nigerians. Now, they have to fight for it
The #EndSARS protest, the Twitter ban and the #June12 protests point to the power of social media in Nigeria. But a rattled government is bent on extinguishing that power.
Malaysian artists and activists face probe over a short film depicting police brutality
"These ongoing harassments against activists, journalists, and artists attempt to silence our voice and deflect the public pressure on the prevalent cases of custodial death in the past few months."
Social media companies could be liable for user-generated content in India
Twitter in India has found itself outside the “safe harbour” that otherwise would have protected itself legally from being implicated for the content generated by its users.
What has Hong Kong lost one year after the National Security Law was enacted?
Hongkongers have lost the right to attend public protests and assemblies; Apple Daily, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy publication has been shut down; and numerous civic groups have been dissolved.
Access denied: the social and economic costs of Nigeria’s Twitter blackout
President Buhari of Nigeria has perceived Twitter’s support for the 2020 youth-led #EndSARS protests, together with the deletion of his tweet, as an act of hostility.
