Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2009
Russia: Photos and Drawings of Opposition Rally
Photos from the Aug. 31 opposition rally in Moscow – by LJ user mnog (RUS); drawings and an observation – by LJ user pshevelev (RUS): “A few people are chanting ‘Shame!’ and are being seized [by the police], and the other 60 are taking photos and keeping silent. If you're...
Trinidad & Tobago: More on Guardian vs. Blogger
KnowProSE.com weighs in on the battle between a Trinidad and Tobago blogger and a mainstream newspaper: “I don't necessarily agree with everything Richard writes or how he writes it – but I think that he has the right to express his opinion. When you threaten legal action in a case...
Vietnam: Blogger fired by newspaper
Blogger Huy Duc, who writes under the pen name “Osin,” was fired from his job in a Saigon newspaper after Communist authorities in Vietnam complained about his writings
Malaysia: Muslims can’t watch “immoral” concerts
The political party which banned the concerts of Beyonce, Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani in Malaysia is now proposing to ban the "sinful" Michael Learns to Rock concert. Malaysian Muslims can't also watch a Black Eyed Peas concert because the show is sponsored by an alcohol company.
Azerbaijan: Washington DC protest for detained activist bloggers (updated)
With detained video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli now facing an additional charge in their native Azerbaijan, The Collegian says that support for the two imprisoned youth activists yesterday transcended the digital world and spilled out thousands of miles away onto the streets of Washington DC.
East Timor: Abe Barreto Soares’ Poetry for Nation Building
He calls himself a “wanderer like anyone else” but Abe Barreto Soares is also a poet, a translator and an active blogger. In this interview, he talks about Timorese nationalism, language and poetry.
Trinidad & Tobago: Paper Vs. Blogger
A battle appears to be brewing between a Trinidad and Tobago blogger and a local newspaper: the latter says that it will “exercise all its available legal options” unless kid5rivers apologizes for this post, in which he airs his opinion that the paper has become “a media house that no...
China: Are Tibetan Bloggers Being Silenced?
Quite alarming to report that all of the most popular Tibetan language blog hosting sites (except one) have been inaccessible for almost three weeks now. Although it is fairly common practice for Tibetan language blog hosting sites to be taken down (sometimes for “maintenance”) at times deemed sensitive by the...
Azerbaijan: Washington DC demonstration in support of detained bloggers
Melissa_Ys tweets that a protest demonstration in support of detained video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli is set to take place outside the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington DC tomorrow at 4pm. The two youth activists have so far spent 51 days in pre-trial detention and...
China: Mobile phone and Dissent 2.0
Uln from Chinayouren blogs about his experience in getting dissent messages asking people to quit CCP via mobile phone.
Iran: “Forced Blogging from Prison”
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a leading reformist blogger and former vice president, started [fa] to update his blog in prison. He says that the interrogation continues but he has very friendly relation with interrogator and protesters in prison know that there was no significant fraud in Iran's presidential election.
Russia: August 1991 – 18 Years On
Scraps of Moscow writes about the August 1991 coup and how it is remembered 18 years later.
Pakistan: Lone Gay Blogger Stops Writing
LGBTI Bangladesh Blog informs that “the lone Pakistani who blogs about gay travails has decided to stop writing”. “Not in Pakistan. I cannot. Sorry,” Jalaluddin, who blogs at Tuzk-e-Jalali, wrote in his latest and perhaps last post on June 28.
Brazil: Students arrested for demonstrating in the Senate
Students were held for demonstrating against the Senate's President José Sarney and suffered many threats. We hear the blogosphere's thoughts on Brazilian democracy being slowly done away with.
China: Free speech under control 2.0
David Bandurski translated an article from CCP mouthpiece publication, Qiushi, on “Freedom of Speech and the Media’s Responsibility”. The article showed the Chinese government's desire for a fair share in the global public opinion.
China: The Death of the Internet Addict Youth
ESWN translated a Southern Metropolis Daily article about the death of a young man at an Internet addict healing camp. The article got the editor fired from his job.
Azerbaijan: Activist bloggers face additional charge as trial approaches
Youth activist video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have been held in pre-trial detention for 48 days. However, in an unexpected development, the authorities in Azerbaijan have now decided to add an additional charge of assault.
Maghreb: Ramadan Good Wishes and More
The Maghreb blogosphere has been blooming with an outpouring of congratulations, welcoming the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. And amongst the usual greetings and formal congratulations, controversial thoughts, often at odds with conventional views on Muslims, are being aired.
Hungary: Update on Hungarian Guard
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on the Hungarian Guard (more on it, in an earlier GV post by Marietta Le).
Barbados: Press Threats?
A senior political figure allegedly threatens a newspaper editor, prompting Barbados Free Press to comment: “Bajans know that our country has not enjoyed true freedom of the press in two decades or more.” Keltruth Corp. adds: “The Nation [newspaper] is getting all bent out of shape because somebody threatened to...
Kazakhstan: Journalist sentenced to jail
Sorge reports that Ramazan Yessergepov, chief editor of the independent newspaper, has been sentenced to three years in jail on charges of divulging state secrets.
