· June, 2009

Stories about Freedom of Speech from June, 2009

Egyptian Blogger Wael Abbas: Detained at Cairo Airport

  30 June 2009

Upon his arrival from Sweden at the Cairo Airport, blogger Wael Abbas tweets the details of his detention at Cairo Airport. The Arabist reported saying: Egyptian mega-blogger Wael Abbas is being detained at Cairo Airport after his passport was confiscated last night. This is the first time this has happened to...

Cuba, U.S.A.: Connecting the Dots

  29 June 2009

Call it coincidence, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks that in light of news that Cuban human rights activists Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” and his wife were once again arrested, “it might be best to connect the dots”, particularly “in the wake of the NED ceremony, at which Antúnez...

China: Being blocked

  29 June 2009

Uln from Chinayouren shares his frustrated feelings on being blocked by the Great Fire Wall of China.

Kazakhstan: Media Protest Against Crackdown

Arman reports on a silent action of protest in the downtown of Almaty, Kazakhstan, in which journalists of independent newspapers, media organizations and opposition politicians put on scarves on their mouths in a symbolic demand of more freedom of speech.

Israel/Palestine: Human Rights Activist Reports on Mission

Reporting from Israel, human rights activist Rae Abileah reflects on her recent Gaza solidarity mission. “It felt really powerful to be taking a stand against occupation in this very tangible way.” She adds, “While I know that we enjoy the privileges of these fun-filled actions, there is an ever-present awareness...

China: More Green Dam documents

  28 June 2009

Rebecca MacKinnon from Rconversation shared with her readers two Chinese government official documents on Green Dam technical requirement and testing.

Iranian officials ‘crowd-source’ protester identities

Iranian protesters appearing in widely disseminated online photos from the ongoing post-election demonstrations in Iran, are now being targeted on website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It shows images of 20 people with red circles drawn around their faces claiming they have been involved in creating "chaos" in Tehran.

Cuba, U.S.A.: Obama & “Antúnez”

  26 June 2009

Cuban human rights activist Jorge Luis García “Antúnez” said that President Obama's words of support make a big difference for those fighting for Cuban liberty, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense is still of the opinion that “Obama should of, and could of, done more to honor the Democracy Award nominees.”

Singapore: Infamous Burger King ad

  26 June 2009

Burger King has a new sandwich offering in Singapore called the “Super Seven Incher.” To promote the new product, a local ad agency produced an outdoor ad which is now getting a lot of attention and criticism around the world.

Macedonia: Real Life Facebook Event

NGO Youth Educational Forum organized a “real life Facebook event” in Skopje as a creative reaction to the passivity and corruption of the official student organization at the largest state university in Macedonia. The Student Parliament of Sts. Cyril and Methodius University (SPUKM), formerly known as Student Union, was controlled...

Cuba, U.S.A.: Missed Opportunity

  25 June 2009

Havana Times reports that U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement in which he said he hoped that all Cuban political prisoners would be released, but Uncommon Sense thinks that Cuban activists deserved better: “A busy schedule or confusion about the dates, is not enough of an excuse for President...

Cuba: Unanswered Questions

  25 June 2009

“I am waiting for a clarification about why he hasn’t accepted Obama’s proposal for U.S. telecommunications companies to provide Internet to the Cuban people. I demand, like many around me, a convincing argument for why we are not going to join the OAS…”: Generation Y says that “the list of...