· November, 2008

Stories about Freedom of Speech from November, 2008

Iran: Do not Execute Farzad Kamangar

Several human rights activists and bloggers warned that Farzad Kamangar, a teacher and trade unionist may be executed in the near future in Iran. Farzad Kamangar, who is from Kurdistan province in Iran, is accused of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

29 November 2008

Cuba: Youth Activist Jailed

Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense highlights the plight of a Cuban youth activist who “was sentenced this week to 3 years in prison for ‘offenses against authority.'”

28 November 2008

Thailand: Airport takeover and Twitter

Twitter has become an interesting and good source of information about what is happening in Thailand. Twitter users in Bangkok have been exchanging travel tips, news updates, and opinions about the current situation.

28 November 2008

Bulgaria: Inadequate Media Coverage

Veni Markovski writes about a recent case of misrepresenting Bulgaria in the International Herald Tribune and posts his letter to the editors. He also writes about the European Commission's decision...

28 November 2008

Egypt: Locking Al Azhar students in the dark ages!

Al Azhar English Training Center is funded through a partnership agreement between Al Azhar University, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund and the British Council. The Center was supposed to provide English Language courses in its first semester to 125 students from various disciplines until Ali Laban, a Muslim Brotherhood deputy, decided otherwise. One enraged instructor speaks up on Facebook.

28 November 2008

Egypt: Police officers banned off university campus

In a historic court ruling, police are now banned from patrolling Cairo University's campus. Instead, the university will have to deploy civilian personal as security guards. Bloggers, who linked police recklessness and use of excessive force to the order, welcomed the ruling with guarded optimism.

27 November 2008

Is Secularism the answer to Egypt's Sectarianism?

Egypt has always been known as an Islamic country where Muslims, Christians, and Jews peacefully co-existed. Today this is no longer the case. Is secularism the solution? Following is an outline of the discussion taking place on Egyptian blogs today.

27 November 2008