Stories about Freedom of Speech from October, 2010
India: Free Speech Or Sedition?
Indian novelist, essayist and activist Arundhati Roy's recent statement on Kashmir stirred a debate across India. Along-with Indian media, the Indian blogosphere and social networking sites have exploded with reactions for and against her statement.
Armenia: Nationalist backlash against Azerbaijan film festival
Unzipped and Le Retour (in 3 Parts) comment on the nationalist backlash to a festival of films from Azerbaijan to be staged in Yerevan, Armenia, next week. The former says that the negative reaction is hypocritical when the same nationalists decry attempts to prevent artistic expression and freedom of speech...
Vietnam: Analysis on blog arrests
Saigonnezumi from Vietnam provides some background to the “crackdown’ of bloggers in Vietnam in the past year.
‘Bloggers for Malaysia’ group
The ‘Bloggers for Malaysia’ group was formed this month to protect the welfare of bloggers in Malaysia in light of the recent cases filed by the police against online critics of the government.
Cuba: Restricted Access
“In Cuba, access to the internet is restricted and very expensive for citizens, but it is also is controlled by state institutions”: Laritza's Laws explains.
Cuba: Standard of Living
“Nobody on the island may have a high standard of living if it is not authorized by the regime”: Iván García explains that he “aspire[s] to live better. But above all [he] consider[s] [him]self a free man. And that is where a person can be dangerous in Cuba.”
US: Stop Meddling with Palestinian Online Conversations
Jillian C York is concerned with the policy recommendations of a study released by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Palestinian social media.
Brazil: activists, bloggers defend freedom of expression
In an act of solidarity [pt] in response to the censoring of Revista do Brasil magazine, a host of Brazilian activists, bloggers and other independent media joined yesterday in collectively criticising the country's mainstream media and lack of freedom of speech.
China: A Mistress Denounced The Maoming Vice-Mayor
The Internet provides new space for citizen to uncover corruption. The latest case is a mistress denouncing the vice-mayor of Maoming city for corruption and debauchery by posting his nude photos online. (ESWN has translated the story.)
FSU: ‘The Road’ by Vasily Grossman
Robert & Elizabeth Chandler’s translation of The Road, a short story by Vasily Grossman, and Robert Chandler's article about Grossman's stories and his friendship with Andrey Platonov – at OpenDemocracy.net.
Russia: Online Activism Success Stories
While Internet analysts across the Atlantic are busy arguing whether technology brings about social and political change or not, bloggers in Russia add their humble contributions to the debate, probably unaware that the debate is taking place at all. Their victories are small and not numerous; their impact can easily be attributed to statistical error - but they certainly are out there.
Brazil: changes made to digital crimes bill
Jomar Silva, of blogging collective Trezentos [pt], speaks out against recent changes [pt] made to a controversial draft bill on cybercrimes in Brazil. The bill, which would require web users to provide identification for online transactions, such as setting up a blog or downloading files, may now see content service...
Uzbekistan: Facebook blocked
The authorities of Uzbekistan have banned Facebook, possibly in an attempt to block Uzbek users from the opportunity to read the content of the banned independent websites via the social network, Abulfazal reports.
UAE: Ban on Flickr Lifted
The United Arab Emirates has lifted a ban on photo sharing site Flickr, writes the UAE Community Blog. “According to a report in The National, the TRA has lifted the Flickr ban. Good news for UAE internet users and photographers. Apparently, it's been made possible by Yahoo utilising the same...
Armenia: Prolific blogger suspended on LiveJournal
Kornelij Glas [RU] details the case of Pigh, an Armenian blogger prolific in the mutual tit-for-tat online information war with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Speaking to Global Voices, Pigh says that his blog on LiveJournal was suspended on 8 October after some Azerbaijanis made complaints to the site's administration which included...
Angola: Update on Press Freedom – “Repression or Urban Violence?”
One day after Global Voices published an article about the murder of journalist Chakussanga, on October 22 another Angolan journalist from “Radio Despertar” – Antonio Manuel “Jojó” da Silva – was injured in stabbing, as Committee to Protect Journalists reports.
Cuba: Awarding Courage & Humility
“There is no name more appropriate than that of this journalist and psychologist whose main characteristic is humility, to be included in a list where we find Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi and Cuba’s Ladies in White”: Generation Y and Iván's File Cabinet blog about Guillermo Fariñas’ award of...
Azerbaijan: Free Expression under Attack
Global Voices Advocacy features a guest post from Rebecca Vincent, Article 19's Advocacy Assistant for Azerbaijan. The post details the situation with freedom of expression in the oil-rich former Soviet republic and the case of imprisoned video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizade.
Panama: Freedom of the Press
The Panama Digest reports that “Panama fell 26 spots on the annual Reporters Without Borders Freedom of the Press Index published Wednesday.” The post also points out that, “just yesterday, on the day the report was published – journalists picketed against government limits on their freedom of expression.”
Cuba: Hunger Striker Recognised
Uncommon Sense and Along the Malecon celebrate Cuban hunger striker Guillermo Fariñas being awarded this year's Sakharov human rights prize.
Anguilla: End of a Blog
Corruption-free Anguilla decides to shut down its blog over threats of a lawsuit; Barbados Free Press comments: “Don Mitchell CBE QC learns why anti-corruption blogs in small countries must be anonymous.”
