Stories about Citizen Media from December, 2015
A Look Back on the Stories We Told About Latin America in 2015
From the anniversary of the disappearance of Ayotzinapa's students to the controversy surrounding the inauguration of Argentina's new president, we review the stories we shared on Latin America during 2015.
Ringing in the New Year in Japan With Fresh Fish
Fish and seafood is an important part of New Year's celebrations in Japan. Here are some photos of shopping for fish.
Trinidad & Tobago Greets 2016 With Austerity
"The government spent the last four months doing diagnosis and triage. Tonight, the wound was bandaged and antibiotics applied."
Latin American Journalism and Advocacy Groups Recognized by Index on Censorship's Freedom of Expression Awards

Méxicoleaks and Fundamedios from Ecuador are among the Latin American candidates for the Index on Censorship’s 2016 Freedom of Expression Awards which includes 100 individuals and groups from 53 countries.
Ecuador Government Seizes TV Channel's Equipment, Leaving It Off the Air
The owner of a popular Ecuadorian TV station that went off the air after the seizure of equipment by the police says the action was motivated by the station's reporting.
The Tragic Rise of Child Abduction as a Business in Madagascar in 2015
"I would not wish such a nightmare on my worst enemy. The Malagasy population feels completely helpless in the face of this wave of children kidnapping."
In Spanish, Inclusive Language Can Be at Odds With Grammar Rules
"Being contained and invisible within masculine nouns forces women to ask themselves the same question thousands of times throughout their lives: 'Are they speaking about me?'"
Strangest Twitter Moment of 2015? Elijah Wood Wades into the Gollum-Erdogan Spat
"You shut up. I skip all the scenes you are in anyway. You can't walk properly. You can't even throw the ring properly... indecent."
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's Absence and Other Curiosities Surrounding Argentina's Presidential Inauguration
"'The time for dialogue is now' and they file a precautionary measure to stop Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner attending the ceremony."
Is It Not Democracy If Voters in Rwanda Want a ‘Life President'?
After 98% of Rwandans voted to change the constitution to allow President Kagama to run for a third term in 2017, some hit back at Western criticism of the results.
Russian Blogger Gets Five-Year Prison Term for ‘Inciting Hate’ Online

Vadim Tyumentsev, a Russian blogger from Tomsk, has been charged with hate speech and calls to extremism online and has received a five-year sentence for videos on YouTube and VKontakte.
32 Stories That Capture the Happiness, Heartache and Resilience of 2015
Global Voices’ community-driven newsroom worked hard this year to build understanding across borders. Take a look back at some of the people and places we learned about in 2015.
Ethiopia Censors Satellite TV Channels as Student Protests Draw Global Media Attention

"If the regime thinks it can cut our audience off from receiving OMN news and programs, they are too dumb to understand what we are made of."
Millions of Indians Slam Facebook's ‘Free Basics’ App

With two weeks of public advertisements, Facebook would have got the maximum opposition in India so far in rolling a free access to its products called Free Basics.
Activists Seek to Dispel Abortion Stigma Fueled by the Macedonian Government's Policies
"Because it's about me, the decision whether to abort or not must remain my and only my right."
How the Soviet Union Sent Its First Man to the Internet in 1982

This is the story of a Soviet scientist who, in 1982, accidentally found himself among the first citizens of the USSR who were able to connect to the Internet.
Tajikistan's Pamir Region: Forever on the Brink of Disaster?
Sarez, a high-altitude lake vulnerable to breakout in the event of major seismic activity, looms ominously over the lives of the Pamiri people and the wider region.
The Francophone World's Uplifting Stories in 2015
We collect collects a few of the happy events you might have missed while distracted by so much of the gloom in 2015.
Who Would Have Thought ‘Everest’ Was in Kazakhstan?
'I even have an old reflex camera, a Nikon D70 -- quite heavy, by the way. That picture was taken from a height of about 6,500 meters above sea level.'
The 7 Most-Read Stories of 2015 on Global Voices
The following seven stories received the most attention from audiences and also received hundreds of shares, likes and comments on social media and our site.
2015 End-of-Year Quiz: Test Your Russian Internet News Knowledge

Think you're a Russian Internet guru? Take our 2015 news quiz to see how closely you've been following the RuNet Echo stories during the past year.