Stories about Freedom of Speech from February, 2010
Qatar: Artist MF Husain trades Indian passport for Qatari one
Reactions on the Internet ranged from shock, dismay and delight as MF Husain, one of India's most celebrated and reviled artists, is offered Qatari citizenship - and accepts.
Azerbaijan: Oil Academy corruption allegations
ANTV, a citizen journalism site recently awarded for its contribution to freedom of the press in Azerbaijan, posts a YouTube video [AZ/EN] interview with Elmin Badalaov, a fourth year student...
Greece, Germany and the middle finger of Venus de Milo
In the continuing drama of the Greek financial crisis, a row erupted last week because of a German magazine cover that depicted ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo flipping a middle finger at the European Union.
Azerbaijan: ANTV receives freedom of the press award
ANTV [AZ/EN/RU], an online citizen journalism site co-founded by now imprisoned video blogging youth activist Emin Milli, has received an award from ZEIT-Stiftung for its work in promoting independent voices...
Cuba: On the Front Line
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says that “Orlando Zapata Tamayo's fight for liberty is not over, as reports…are that other Cuban freedom fighters are taking his place on the front...
Cuba: Hunger Striker Dies in Havana Prison
The death of the first Cuban political prisoner to die on hunger strike since 1972 is eliciting a combination of speechlessness and outrage on the web.
Macau: Alternative public sphere
Chong from interlocals has a summary of a local research on the development of online alternative public sphere in Macau.
Egypt: DC Rally for Kareem Amer
Supporters in Washington DC held a rally in support of jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer. Kareem has been in prison for three years as part of a four year sentence...
Slovenia: Tribute to Janez Drnovšek
Two years after the death of former Slovenian president Janez Drnovšek, Sleeping With Pengovsky observes that “most of the nation is on the prowl against any sort of deviation from...
India: The Influence Of Local Language News Channels and Media
“The recent expansion in Indian language news channels and media, preceded by the expansion in the Indian language newspaper market has brought television to the fore, as a powerful new...
China: Mobilizing mothers for censorship
On January 19th 2010, the Beijing Association of online media established a group called Mama Jury to censor obscene and pornographic information online. According to report from Southern Weekend, the...
China: Typology of GFW networks
GFWrev has an article (cn) with a bilingual graph explaining how the Internet censorship works in China.
Sri Lanka: Censorship And Pertinent Questions
Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog discusses about the presidential order of “the suspension of a plan by Sri Lanka’s telecommunications regulator to censor anti-government websites” and raises...
Russia: Media Portal Undergoes Check For Extremism
The war on extremism became a universal formula used by Russian authorities to fight the freedom of online expression. Interestingly enough, this practice co-exists with ambitious projects of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to modernize the country.
Singapore: Netizens angry over pastor’s comments on Buddhism and Taoism
A pastor from a small evangelical church in Singapore was forced to apologize after netizens complained about the anti-Buddhism and anti-Taoism sermons of the church leader.
China: Prisoner of Conscience Map
A google map marking and reminding people of the whereabout of the prisoners of conscience in China.
Colombia: The Closure of Cambio Magazine
The Colombian magazine Cambio, known for its investigative reporting, was recently closed by its owners, who say it was an economic decision. However, journalists say that it was a politically motivated decision.
Bulgaria: “The Bulgarian Guantanamo”
Maya Markova of Maya's Corner posts videos and translates parts of the documentary The Bulgarian Guanatanamo, by Bulgarian journalist Ivan Kulekov. (An earlier GV roundup item on this issue is...
Belarus: State TV Accused of “Ripping a Whole Sitcom”
Belarus Digest reports that while the Belarusian government explains the recently-introduced internet regulations by the need to fight copyright law violations, the state-run TV is now being accused of “ripping...
Belarus, Poland: Situation With the Union of Poles
Updates on the tensions between Belarus and Poland – at Belarus Digest: here, here, and here.
China: A satirical guide for Fifty Cents Party members
C Custer from ChinaGeeks translated a satirical guide for Fifty Cents Party members (paid online commentators) on the many methods they can use to respond to criticism.
