Stories about Freedom of Speech from June, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago: Silence that Kills
Four Fingers and a Thumb 2.0 speaks out against political tyranny and the passivity that allows it to continue. “A dictator in the world,” she says, “is like the abusive father in the community that no-one wants to report.”
India: Social Justice and Free Speech
Law and Other Things comments on a situation, where an editor has been arrested, and describes it as a tussle between social justice and freedom of press.
GV Summit- Day Two Completed!
While Day One of the Global Voices Summit focused on Advocacy, today focused more upon Global Voices proper, with information presented on the other GV projects of Rising Voices and Lingua. The day began with an introduction by Georgia Poppelwell (GV Managing Director) and Solana Larsen (GV Managing Editor), in...
GV Summit: Day One a Success!
The first day of the Global Voices 2008 Summit in Budapest, Hungary was a wild success, as far as we can see (obviously we can't know all of the implications this early in the game). The morning started with an introduction from Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon, founders of Global...
The Balkans: Michael J. Totten's Travelogue
Michael J. Totten of Middle East Journal writes about and posts photos from his recent trip through the Balkans (93 comments); LimbicNutrition Weblog posts his response to Totten.
Russia: Blog Roundup
Russia blogs roundup – at Siberian Light.
Russia: Media on the eXile
Sean's Russia Blog reviews media coverage of the “eXile Affair.”
Morocco: Shutting down Al Jazeera?
After a clash between protestors and police in Sidi Ifni lead to injuries and possible deaths, Al Jazeera issued a report at a news conference held by the Moroccan Human Rights Centre that several protestors had been killed. The Moroccan authorities, angered by the report, charged Al Jazeera's Rabat bureau...
Poland: More on Lech Wałęsa
A debate on Lech Wałęsa continues at Polandian: “a hero / a lesser hero / a traitor. Choose your title.” Raf Uzar posts on the controversy as well.
Hungary: Open Letter to Austria
Pestiside.hu writes an angry letter to Austria, “on behalf of Hungary.”
Lithuania: Soviet and Nazi Symbol Ban
Itching for Eestimaa thinks that Lithuania's recent decision “to ban both Soviet and Nazi symbols, as well as national anthems, is […] a mistake.”
Cambodia: Riding the Wave of Change
In a country where men tend to have more privileges in family and society, a new wave of change is about to begin. Sopheap Chak is another urban woman with initiatives and ambitions. The 23-year-old, originally from Kampong Cham province, is a prominent human rights activist. When she talks about changes she believes in it's as if she's a new hopeful inspirational leader.
Bulgaria: More on June 28 Sofia Gay Pride
What's Going Down? writes about the opposition to Bulgaria's first-ever Gay Pride Parade, which is set to take place in Sofia on June 28: “…local right-wing political groups have, predictably, begun publicly denouncing the event in ways that range from the merely embarrassing and depressing to the downright alarming.”
Bahrain:Blocking Sites
Blocking websites is the most effective way of making them famous, notes Bahraini blogger Mahmood AlYousif on his country's latest threat to block some sites.
Uzbekistan: The slain journalist's father calls on authorities
Libertad translates a post about the letter of a father of a murdered journalist Alisher Saipov addressed to the presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan: Fighting internet censorship
Today, Uzbekistan is remaining one of the repressive countries in the region that maintains a tight grip on mass media. Despite it has all the nominal guarantees of the freedom of speech, the media is being systematically attacked by the government. The article 5 in the law of the Republic...
Hong Kong: No Blogger Accreditation
Thomas Crampton talked to the Hong Kong government’s Director of Information Services Betty Fung, who said Hong Kong does not recognize bloggers for accreditation to official media events and she has never received a request for accreditation from a blogger.
Singapore: Internet regulation
Singapore Patriot tackles the issue of regulation of political content on the Internet in Singapore.
Iran: Iranian Blog Declaration Against Filtering
Digiactive writes that about 100 Iranian bloggers signed a declaration that condemns filtering and call for freedom of speech.
Iran: Ahmadinejad banned a conservative journal
According to several Iranian blogs and news sites, Tehran Emrouz journal was shut down yesterday because it criticized president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policy. Heiderpix also says the journal published this photo of Ahmadinejad that created government's reaction.
Russia: Update on Politkovskaya's Murder
Sean's Russia Blog posts an update on the investigation into the 2006 murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
