· October, 2008

Stories about Freedom of Speech from October, 2008

Russia: “Help Svetlana Bakhmina” Petition

As of now, 71,250 people have signed an online petition appealing to the Russian president to pardon Svetlana Bakhmina, a former senior lawyer for Mikhail Khodorkovsky's oil company Yukos, who was arrested in December 2004 and sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for embezzlement and tax evasion in April 2006.

29 October 2008

Barbados: MSM & Democracy

Barbados Underground says that “the current fast food diet of journalism being served up by the local media” poses a threat to the country's democracy.

28 October 2008

Bangladesh: Liberal Voices on the rise

Bangladeshis usually have strong political views and tend to lean towards a party of their choice. Many of them ‘religiously’ follow the dictations and deliberations of their leaders. However, An...

28 October 2008

Morocco: Barça Fan Jailed for Superlative Statement

Many bloggers were shocked last week to learn that a young Moroccan man had been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for what seemed like such a minor "crime." The young man, a Barça (FC Barcelona, a soccer team) fan, allegedly wrote “God, Nation, Barça” on the blackboard at his school. Morocco's motto is "God, Nation, King."

27 October 2008

Turkey: Blogspot.com Banned

In another long string of website services blocked in the Republic of Turkey, yet another blog service has been blocked Blogger/Blogspot.com. A court in Diyarbakir Turkey has banned Blogger in relation to an intellectual property infringement case. Adam Klempner, translates some of the Turkish bloggers' reactions.

26 October 2008

Jamaica: Inaccurate Ranking?

My View of JamDown from Up So writes an open letter to Reporters Without Borders, saying he was “disturbed at the high (press freedom) rank of Jamaica in comparison what...

24 October 2008

Cuba: Ties That Bind?

Steven's Cuba Blog and Havana Times report on the formal resumption of ties between the European Union and Cuba, while Child of the Revolution adds: “the Cubans say they are...

24 October 2008

Croatia: More on Ivo Pukanić's Death

Hudin writes about yesterday's blast in Zagreb, Croatia, which killed Ivo Pukanić, publisher and editor-in-chief of Nacional, and Niko Franjić, a journalist: “Pukanić had been fearing for his life for...

24 October 2008