· December, 2008

Stories about Freedom of Speech from December, 2008

Iran: Two bloggers in jail

Iranian judicial authorities announced that Hossein Derakhshan was being held in prison in connection with his comments about key figures of the Shiite faith.In the same time several bloggers such...

31 December 2008

Cuba: Subsidies

As “Raúl Castro reaffirmed the idea of ending subsidies”, Generation Y observes: “Between the symbolic price of a pound of rationed rice, and the enormous ‘slice’ of our salaries taken...

30 December 2008

Cuba: Waiting for Cable

The submarine cable linking Cuba and Venezuela has “a vague completion date” of 2011, but Generation Y is clear about “what this projected umbilical cord should bring us.”

29 December 2008

Iran Review 2008

According to the Berkman Center for Internet and Society there are around 60,000 active Iranian blogs. In 2008 they have been creative, dynamic and active in their diverse fields of interest. Here are a few of them.

28 December 2008

Turkey: Apology Shakes Apologia over Armenian Genocide

Challenging 90 years of institutionalized denial of the massacre and deportation of the Ottoman Empire's indigenous Armenian community during WWI, tens of thousands of Turkish intellectuals, academics, writers, journalists and dissidents have apologized online for the "Great Catastrophe."

28 December 2008

2008: A turbulent year for South Asia

Looking back on the events that rocked South Asia in the year 2008 we see that terrorism took the center stage in many places in this region. This was also...

27 December 2008

Northeast Asia: 2008 Review

The northeast Asia region is becoming more integrated politically, economically and socially. State leaders from China, Japan and South Korea recently signed a Joint Statement for Tripartite Partnership to address...

27 December 2008

Ukraine: “A Democratic Question”

Ukrainiana writes about president Yushchenko's answer to the question that got over 85,000 online votes: “A straight question needs a straight answer. Instead, we got a rambling lecture, replete with...

27 December 2008

Egyptian and Tunisian Bloggers against Censorship

In December 2006 frustrated Tunisian bloggers launched the "Action Blank Post" initiative in defense of freedom of speech. Supporting bloggers from all over the world posted a blank on their blogs on the 25th of December, and now bloggers have united again in this anti-censorship tradition, as Marwa Rakha shows.

26 December 2008

Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008

For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.

26 December 2008

Caucasus: 2008 Blog Review

Last year ended with a state of emergency declared in Georgia, but few could imagine that the events of 2008 would eclipse those of 2007. Three presidential elections, a war,...

25 December 2008