Stories about Freedom of Speech from January, 2013
The ‘Vishwaroopam’ Ban: Attack on Freedom of Speech?
The screening of Kamal Haasan's big budget Bollywood movie Vishwaroopam was banned in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu after Islamic organizations protested the depiction of the Muslim community. Actor-Director...
Russian Teacher Briefly Fired for Defending LGBT Rights
As if Russia's liberals were not already outraged enough about a proposed federal law banning "homosexual propaganda", the firing of an activist school teacher protesting this law has sparked a...
Japan Gears Up for the Open Data Revolution
Following the death of Aaron Swartz, an open data activist, the issues around open access and data ownership have been reignited around the world. But for Japan, the seeds of...
Iran's Newspapers Silent on Mass Arrest of Journalists
The world's leading jailer of journalists has struck again. At least 12 Iranian journalists were arrested by agents of the regime's over the weekend.
Homosexuals – The Invisible Minority of Bangladesh
The LGBT communities in Bangladesh remain underground as they face discrimination, verbal abuse, physical abuse, social and legal challenges everyday. This invisible minority uses the internet and social networking to...
Thai Activist Editor Gets 11-Year Jail Term for ‘Insulting’ King
Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a veteran activist and former editor of Voice of Taksin magazine (banned in 2010), received an 11 year jail sentence from a Thai court for publishing articles deemed...
After 15-year Trial in Turkey, Pınar Selek Sentenced for Life
After three acquittals, Pınar Selek, a sociologist and a writer, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Turkish courts for the 1998 Istanbul Spice Bazaar bombing.
Slovak President Butt of Jokes Online Due to Prosecutor General Saga
The post of the Prosecutor General has been vacant for more than a year in Slovakia, largely due to President Ivan Gašparovič's failure to approve the previous Parliament's candidate. Slovak...
Blogging for UAE Detainees
“UAE Detainees” [ar] sheds light on the plight of more 68 Emirati political detainees who demanded reforms in their country. By doing so, the blog tries to attract solidarity with...
Mauritania: Workers March 700km for Justice
On January 5, a group of illegal or "Journalia" workers (temporary or seasonal), started a long march from the city of Zouerat in order to reach the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott....
Russian Parliament Confronts Next Threat to Kids: “Homosexual Propaganda”
The Russian parliament's effort to defend the nation's children continues. In the last year, Duma deputies have labored feverishly to shield Russia's youth from child pornography and online enticements to...
Opposition Party Attacks Russian eDemocracy
Just Russia has always been a conflicted political entity. Nominally, it's a social-justice-oriented opposition party with members in the Russian parliament. During the past year, Just Russia has gained a...
Parallels Between Religious and Copyright Wars
Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Pirate Party, reinterprets the wars of religion that devastated Western Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries in terms of the current struggle to control...
France: NGOs Condemn Privatisation of Public Domain
Seven European free culture associations issued a statement [fr] protesting against a public-private partnership between the French National Library BNF and Proquest database [fr], whose aim is to digitize a...
Turkmenistan: Human Rights? What Human Rights?
In Turkmenistan, which ranks among the world's "worst of the worst" human rights abusers, the very existence of such rights is seen as 'fiction'. Some netizens blame Ashgabat's repressive regime...
Hungarian Student Protesters Face Punishment, Keep Fighting
In December 2012, Hungarian university and high school students united to protest against the large cutbacks in higher education admission quotas. Their fight for tution-free slots continues.
Apostasy Case against Saudi Activist Dismissed
‘The apostasy case against Saudi activist Raif Badawi has been dismissed, his lawyer Waleed Abu Alkhair said on Twitter today. “It was not proven to the judges that the accused...
Police Use Pepper Spray on Bangladesh's Teacher Protesters
For the very first time in Bangladesh, the police used pepper spray to scatter hundreds of teachers and employees of private schools who were demonstrating in Dhaka. One teacher ended...
Macedonian Sports Journalist Protests Harassment
A prominent Macedonian sports journalist Igor Filevski, who works as a correspondent from Spain, announced [mk] on his blog that he will no longer cover Macedonian sports in order to...
