Stories about Freedom of Speech from November, 2011
Malaysia: Netizens React to ‘Peaceful Assembly Bill’
The Malaysian Parliament has approved the Peaceful Assembly Bill which gives police broad powers to control and even ban street assemblies and protests. Activists described the measure as an attack on civil liberties and freedom of speech. Using the hashtags #walk4freedom and #PA2011, netizens reacted to the quick passage of the bill
Russia: Creators of Election Violation Map Come Under Attack
With a week to go until Russia's parliamentary elections, the Golos election monitoring association has been experiencing unprecedented pressure, including a break-in by a television team, accusatory articles in major newspapers, and a call for the organization's closure signed by three parliament deputies.
Cuba: Under “Survey-lance”
“As far as many Cubans here are concerned, it is not necessary to have survey results to verify the high levels of discontent and uncertainty we live under”: Without Evasion explains why she's sceptical of surveys.
Ukraine: Update on Jailed Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko; Donetsk Protests
Foreign Notes cites journalist Viktoria Syumar's blog post [ru], which compares prison conditions of the jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko to those of Anders Breivik, and writes – here and here – about Tymoshenko's health problems. Also on Foreign Notes, a post on the dispersal of a protest by Chernobyl clean-up...
Malaysia: Protesting the Peaceful Assembly Bill
The Malaysian Parliament has approved the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill which critics believe will make it difficult for citizens to organize protest assemblies. Netizens used the #pa2011 hashtag to express their views about this measure
Mexico: Government Considers Legal Actions Against Citizens Demanding ICC Probe
The Mexican government has rejected war crime allegations and threatened to use legal actions against citizens that filed a complaint at the ICC against the President, top government officials, and drug gang leaders involved in Mexico's Drug War.
Cuba: Entrepreneurship & Home Ownership
Generation Y wonders whether the country's new wave of entrepreneurs will survive, while Laritza's Laws is concerned that “the housing regulations, recently enacted by the government of Cuba…leave intact regulations that impede the full exercise of the right of ownership.”
Malaysia: Opposition to Peaceful Assembly Bill
An online campaign was launched to pressure members of Parliament of Malaysia to reject the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill which activists believe will curtail freedom of expression and the people's right to organize in the country
South Korea: Judge's Facebook Post Criticizing Free Trade Deal Went under Fire
A judge's Facebook post criticizing the current President and the free trade agreement with the United States went under fire. The Supreme Court has decided to refer him to the ethics committee for violating political neutrality. Some citizen journalists have secured the judge's deleted post [ko] in their blogs.
Russia: “Anti-Gay” Bill Postponed Till Nov. 30
Siberian Light reports that the second reading of the “anti-gay” bill in the St. Petersburg City Duma has been postponed till Nov. 30 – “to allow time for a face-saving review of the legislation’s wording.” The AllOut.org's petition calling “leaders around the world to reach out to their counterparts in...
Russia: Siberian Light's This Week in Russia Blogs #1
Andy of Siberian Light presents This Week in Russia Blogs #1, a revamped version of Russia Blog Roundup weekly series. Anglophone posts highlighted in the current edition include A Good Treaty's take on the efficiency of the RuNet activism and Putinania‘s analysis of the United Russia’s prospects for the Dec....
Cuba: News, 24/7
Cuba will apparently soon have a 24-hour news channel; Regina Coyula says: “Despite so much supposed information, we are the most disinformed people in the world.”
Iran: Rojin Mohammadi, a female blogger arrested
Rojin Mohammadi,a feamle blogger and a medical student at Manila Medical School of Philippines got arrested [fa] upon her return to Iran and was transferred to Evin prison.
Cuba: Photos of Violent Arrests
Uncommon Sense weighs in on photos showing the violent arrest of “two Cuban female activists, Yris Pérez Aguilera and Donaida Pérez Paseiro, as they tried to leave Yris’ home in Placetas so she could see a specialist for treatment of head injuries she suffered during a beating by a police...
Cuba: Siding with Syria
Bloggers comment on Cuba's opposition against a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Syria for human rights violations, here and here.
Pakistan: Twitter Reactions to the SMS Filtering Announcement
The Pakistan Telecom Authorities' possible attempt at SMS filtering for abusive contents, had twitter timelines flooded with reactions; mostly humorous. Sana Saleem compiles Twitter reactions and provides update on the issue.
Pakistan: Plans to Filter Around 1,500 Words in SMS Traffic
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is the center of attention of the country's social media junkies and human right groups these days, for its infamous leaked list of banned obscene words and phrases for SMS traffic. Pakistani bloggers react.
South Korea: Comedian Sued for Making Fun of Politicians
Politics is seen as a fair target for most comedy shows, but in South Korea a politician is suing a comedian. The lawsuit - claiming that the performer defamed all politicians - has drawn immediate criticism from various parts of Korean society, inundating social media with jokes and comments.
Russia: Drawing World Leaders’ Attention to St. Petersburg Anti-LGBT Bill
AllOut.org: “Political leaders in St. Petersburg are about to vote on law that will make it illegal for any person to write a book, publish an article or speak in public about being gay, lesbian or transgender. […] Join this call to leaders around the world to reach out to...
Cuba: Blogger and Scholar Ted Henken on New Media in Cuba
Ellery Biddle interviews City University of New York (CUNY) Professor of Sociology Ted Henken, a Cuba expert who is the author of El Yuma, a blog that explores social currents in contemporary Cuba and closely follows the Cuban blogosphere.
Cuba: Censoring “El Chupi”
Generation Y blogs about El Chupi Chupi, a hugely popular song in Cuba right now, which has been panned by the Cuban Music Institute, saying: “Controversy will arise, of course, and generate debate, but no public official will be able to erase it with the stroke of a pen, because...
