Stories about Freedom of Speech from January, 2009
Russia, Poland: Robert Amsterdam's Interview
Translation of Robert Amsterdam's interview in the Polish Gazeta Wyborzca – at Robert Amsterdam Blog.
Latvia: Protest and Changes
Baltic writes about political changes taking place in Latvia due to the crisis. Free Speech Emergency in Latvia posts a video from a silent protest in Riga.
Russia: Moscow Riot Cops vs Garbage Container
LJ user trashman_2009, a Greenpeace activist, posts pictures of himself dressed as a green garbage container, being dragged away by Moscow riot police after a failed attempt to get an...
India: Blogger silenced
Chyetanya Kunte is an Indian blogger living in the Netherlands. On 27th of November, 2008 during the terror attacks in Mumbai he wrote a blog post (now available through Google...
Cambodia: Internet censorship targets artists
The Cambodian Ministry of Women's Affairs has threatened to block a Web site that contains artistic illustrations of bare-breasted Apsara dancers and a Khmer Rouge soldier. This censorship targets Cambodian artists who are more recognized not in offline exhibitions but through their presence on the world wide web.
Cuba: Hope and Change
On hearing the news that two black Cubans were arrested “after they were heard making favorable comments” about the Obama presidency, Uncommon Sense has these words for the new president:...
Ukraine: KGB Archive
Sean's Russia Blog writes this about Ukraine's plans “the entire KGB archive dating 1917-1991″: “These materials will certainly be employed in the further crafting of Ukraine’s ‘imagined community’ of victimization...
Cuba: Human Rights & Political Prisoners
As The Cuban Triangle reports that Cuba is about to face a human rights review, Uncommon Sense says that women are also among the political prisoners on the island.
Jamaica, Zimbabwe: Hunger Strike
“Do people in Jamaica and the Caribbean care enough about events in Zimbabwe to lend their help to this call for moral action?”: Annie Paul has a friend who is...
Hong Kong: From Censorship Debate to Critique of Christian Right
The debate over censorship of indecency in Hong Kong sparkled by the consultation on the Control of Obscene and Indecent Article Ordinance (COIAO) has developed into a critique of religious...
Kazakhstan: Journalist Arrested for Alleged State Secret Disclosure
Ramazan Yessergepov, chief editor of the “Alma-Ata Info” newspaper, was arrested early January this year by the National Security Committee officers from the provincial branch office of the country's main...
Russia: Blog as Mass Media Outlet
LJ user ottenki-serogo is the first Russian blogger to have officially registered his blog as a mass media outlet. Many readers are asking: “What for?” One of the 168 comments...
Russia: Medvedev vs Putin's Espionage Law
RFE/RL's The Power Vertical reports that president Medvedev “has instructed his administration to re-work a controversial bill broadening the definition of treason and espionage to assure that it doesn't violate...
Latvia: Flash Mob To Support Public Radio
Free Speech Emergency in Latvia writes that “employees of Latvia's public service radio (Latvijas Radio) have called for a flash-mob to gather near the parliament (Saeima) building for five minutes...
Egypt: “Kleenex” Literature at the Cairo International Bookfair
With more than 15 new titles, Egyptian bloggers took the 2009 Cairo International Book Fair by storm. Conventional writers label bloggers' literature as “Kleenex” Literature. Marwa Rakha reviews reactions from the Egyptian blogosphere in this article.
Erin Brockovich wanted in Egypt
Egyptian Blogger sued for slander and looses. Zeinobia wrote about Tamer Mabrouk who blogs from Port Said and who published a report supported by photography showing how “Trust Chemical Industries” Company was polluting the Lake Manzala with its chemical wastes from their factory. Author of “El Hakika” blog has to pay L.E 2500 as a fine and L.E 40,000 compensation for the company !!
Guyana: Going High-Tech
Guyana 360 maintains that the former First Lady is not the only one who has suffered “high-tech abuse” at the hands of the country's President.
Barbados: Journalists Concerned
The Barbados Association of Journalists writes in its blog that it is “concerned by the recent notices issued by the Labour Department requiring freelance media personnel to register with the...
Bahrain: Bloggers united against decision to block websites
Bloggers in Bahrain are fuming at a decision by the country's Minister of Information to block access to scores of websites, as well as prevent access to proxy sites which enable surfers to get to sites in a round about manner. Ayesha Saldanha reviews reactions from Bahrain.
Fiji: Bloggers discuss newspaper publisher's deportation
Fiji’s government deported Fiji Times publisher Monday, January 26, a few days after the newspaper was found guilty of contempt of court and fined nearly $55,000 for printing a “scandalous” letter to the editor.
Cuba: Political Prisoners
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports on the experience of some of Cuba's political prisoners because he believes that “it is a truth that one day will set them, and their...
