· August, 2011

Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2011

Russia: Why We Are Leaving Our Country Behind

RuNet Echo

Recent months have seen a new spin on the topic of emigration that seems to be ever-present in the Russian online space. Several powerful blog posts written by people from different social groups have become a platform for expressing one's take on the present and future of the country and people's place in it.

31 August 2011

Cuba: Sixth Sunday vs. Women

“This Sunday August 28th was the 6th consecutive Sunday in which dozens of dissidents -mainly women- have been violently attacked by the regime’s forces. And, each passing day, the methods...

30 August 2011

Cuba: Las Damas & the Archbishop

Uncommon Sense says that the fact that the leader of The Ladies in White has had to approach Havana's cardinal “to intercede…to halt the summerlong repression of the Damas and...

30 August 2011

Saudi Arabia: A Special Twitter Hashtag for the King!

A Saudi hashtag entitled #tal3mrak which literary translates into “May god prolong your life” or “your majesty” if translated into a Western context, took Twitter by storm today. The hashtag came as a surprise to those who never thought Saudi netizens would have the courage to address their authorities via social media.

28 August 2011

South Korea: Pop Music Censorship Meets with Strong Opposition

More than 2,600 South Korean pop songs have been censored in the past two years for their "hazardous" lyrics. One entertainment agency, however, filed a lawsuit against the government that deemed its singer’s album as ‘inappropriate for youths’ and won the case. The decision was widely welcomed by Korean public.

28 August 2011

Libya: The Liberation of Tripoli

The Internet is back on in the Libyan capital Tripoli, after a blackout that lasted about six months. One by one bloggers and tweeps from Tripoli are coming online, sharing their feelings, emotions and hopes after months of absence and turmoil. Fozia Mohamed brings us their feedback.

27 August 2011

Cuba: Pseudo-Transparency

Without Evasion considers Raul Castro's pledge “to develop a new brave, honest and transparent journalism during the Sixth Congress of the CCP”, saying: “If the coverage of what happened in...

26 August 2011

India: Anti-Corruption Campaign Fires a Country's Imagination

In India, social media is being used extensively to power civil society's push for a proposed anti-corruption bill. The movement is being led from the front by a Gandhian social activist Anna Hazare, who continues to receive a huge amount of support in home and abroad - online and offline.

24 August 2011