· May, 2009

Stories about Freedom of Speech from May, 2009

Indonesia: Jailed For Complaining

The case of Prita Mulyasari, a mother of two, is currently the hot topic among Indonesian bloggers. Prita shared her experience of being maltreated by a private hospital on a mailing-list. The hospital took legal action against her. The online complaint may result into six years jail term and maximum fine of 1 billion Rupiah (nearly US$ 98,000).

31 May 2009

Egypt: Anti-Male Circumcision Campaign

In 2008 Egypt passed a law that banned female circumcision (FGM). Today a group of bloggers started a campaign against male circumcision. Marwa Rakha picks up the story in this post.

29 May 2009

China: Police harassment

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated Ai Weiwei's blog posts on how he was harassed by security “rice streamers” (meaning stupid polices) and lawyer blogger Liu Xiaoyuan's article explaining Ai's rights....

29 May 2009

China: Deng Yujiao Case Reporters Assaulted

ESWN translated local forum news reporting on the assault of Southern People Weekly magazine reporter Wei Yi when he tried to interview the maternal grandmother of Deng Yujiao – the...

29 May 2009

Guadeloupe: In May 2009, keep May 1802 and May 1967 in mind

2009 will definitely be a "new" year in Guadeloupe - at least judging from a pun that people used as their New Year's wish, since in Creole "new" is pronounced "nef" and "nine" is also pronounced "nef". The first social movements in December 2008 foreshadowed the massive mobilization which took place from January until March 2009, which resulted in 45 days of an all-out strike on the island. Although an agreement was signed, the situation still has not been properly settled - and May, traditionally a month of protest in the French and Guadeloupean social history, is particularly hot this year.

28 May 2009

Singapore: First LGBT Rally

More than 2,500 people in Singapore gathered at Hong Lim Park to form a human Pink Dot - a symbol of love and inclusiveness. It was Singapore’s first public rally in support for the Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

28 May 2009

Argentina: Clarín Media Group Forces Removal of Videos

The media group Clarín is considered to be the most important in Argentina and has implemented a policy of demanding that YouTube close the accounts of any user that does not remove content produced by one of its television companies. This policy has affected bloggers, who have used content on a non-profit basis and for the purpose of commenting on the political situation of the country. Many are arguing that these uses are protected by law, and that Clarín is infringing on freedom of speech and practicing censorship.

27 May 2009

Cuba: Gay Expression

Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says of the arrest of the President of the Cuban Lesbian, Gay, Transexual and Bisexual Foundation: “After 50 years, the Castro dictatorship has yet to get...

27 May 2009

Palestine: Israeli Armed Police Disrupt Literature Festival

The Palestine Festival of Literature is a traveling cultural roadshow touring across the West Bank, in Palestine, from May 23 to 28. The aim is to take literary activities to Palestinians, who aren't allowed to travel under the occupation. However, the opening was marred when armed Israeli police ordered the theatre where the event was hosted to shut down. Bloggers from around the world reacted to the incident.

26 May 2009

Cuba: Antúnez Arrested

“Former Cuban political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez ‘Antúnez’ and six other anti-government activists were arrested in Havana…”: Uncommon Sense has the details.

26 May 2009

Iran: Facebook is accessible again

Iranian news sites and blogs report that Facebook is not anymore filtered in Iran. Senoghteh says [fa] that national and international protest forced Iranian government to make Facebook available again.

26 May 2009

Trinidad & Tobago: Where's the Integrity?

Transparency and good governance have been popular topics in the Caribbean blogosphere of late. The latest debacle over integrity (or lack thereof?) comes from Trinidad and Tobago, where, in the last few weeks, a second attempt to establish an Integrity Commission has come to a crashing halt amidst revelations that the Chair of the Commission, a Catholic priest, had committed acts of plagiarism. To add even more fuel to the fire, the journalist who drew attention to the plagiarism in the first place, appears to have been fired. Bloggers speak out.

25 May 2009

Jamaica: Calabash & Language

Annie Paul blogs about Jamaica's Calabash Literary Festival, at which some folks were offended by the colourful language in authors’ readings: “Does shielding young ears from words like pussy, bombaclaat,...

25 May 2009

Cuba: “Cubans Can Connect”

“I’m coming to believe that the influence of the Internet on our reality is bigger than I thought”: When it comes to limitations imposed on Cubans having online access, Generation...

25 May 2009

Fiji: Reaction to detention of alleged bloggers

Global Voices previously reported that Fiji police detained and seized the laptops of three people who had been named as bloggers behind the anti-government site Raw Fiji News. The three lawyers had recently been named by the pro-government site Real Fiji News. While police confirmed the detentions and laptop seizures, a spokesman would not say why the three men were hauled in. All three have been released, but no word as yet on their laptops.

25 May 2009