· December, 2013

Stories about Freedom of Speech from December, 2013

South Korean Pres. Vows Pre-emptive Strikes on Social Media Rumors

  31 December 2013

Is South Korea government gearing up toward social media censorship? The latest official remark by President Park (full transcript [ko]) had Korean net users worried. Park, addressing “those rumors spreading via social media”, said “if the government let these things happen, it will bring chaos nationwide” and added “bear in mind that...

South Korea: Reason Behind Movie ‘The Attorney's Box Office Smash

  28 December 2013

South Korean movie ‘The Attorney’ which depicts the early life of ex-President Roh who started as a civil rights lawyer resisting against dictatorial regimes, has drawn over 4 million admissions in just ten days of screening. Movie critics even comment [ko] that its popularity in Korea is more explosive than that...

#askPussyRiot Wants Your Questions

RuNet Echo  26 December 2013

After almost two years in federal custody, Pussy Riot's two most famous members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, will hold their first post-prison press conference [ru]. The event will be hosted by the online TV station Dozhd and take place on Friday, December 27, 2013, beginning at 2:00 PM Moscow time (5:00 AM...

Impact Of Social Media In The Delhi Elections

  25 December 2013

Prior to the Delhi Legislative Assembly election (4 December 2013) the Delhi Election Commission vowed to monitor the social media for political campaigns looking for breach of model code of conduct by the candidates. However the commission later said that there were loopholes in monitoring and it is virtually “impossible”...

Chinese University Professor’s Resignation Letter Censored

  25 December 2013

One day after professor Chen Hongguo posted his resignation letter on Weibo that has triggered hot discussion on academic freedom in China on December 23, 2013, his letter was deleted. A search on professor Chen's name on Sina Weibo shows the following message:  根据相关法律法规和政策,“谌洪果”搜索结果未予显示。 According to relevant regulations and policies, search results...

South Korean Military Bans ‘Arirang’, Country's Iconic and Beloved Song

  24 December 2013

South Korean Military is infamous for banning books, films and songs which they find ‘controversial’ or ‘subversive’ and their recent decision to ban the nation's most beloved and historically important songs, ‘Arirang’ (which even has the famed nickname of ‘unofficial national anthem of Korea‘) met with fierce backlash. The military explains it...

South Korea: Class-action Suit Against Key Players of Election Manipulation

  21 December 2013

Marking a year after the latest presidential election tainted with allegations of political tampering, attorney Han Woong, together with 610 plaintiffs, filed a civil lawsuit [ko] against those who are allegedly responsible for the election manipulation scandal. Han accused ex-President Lee Myung-bak, former head of the NIS (National Intelligence Service), ex-Commissioner of the Seoul...

South Korean Education Ministry Discourages Students’ Poster Movement

  20 December 2013

As South Korean university students’ ‘We Are Not Fine!’ poster movement spreads like wildfire across the country, even up to the point of motivating high, junior high and elementary students [ko] to write their own, the Ministry of Education has given notice to schools to control students’ poster-making in order...

Photos of Mass Candlelight Rallies in South Korea

  20 December 2013

By holding candlelight rallies across the country, frustrated South Koreans have voiced flooding concerns over current political developments and series of scandals, including the snowballing election manipulation allegations. @Emfla505 tweeted [ko] this stunning photo of protest in Seoul (below) and WikiTree.com site gathered more photos of rallies on December 19. 오늘 서울시청 광장입니다! 민노총의 깃발이 빠져 나가고...

Chinese Film Director Feng Xiaogang on Censorship

  20 December 2013

When asked about his dream during an interview at China's top Tsinghua University, Chinese film director Feng Xiaogang said[zh] to the students: I have realized all my dreams, if there is any, that is one day, I wish there's no film censorship in China.  His words inspired thunderous applause. He...

China: Online Annihilation of Dissent

  19 December 2013

China Media Project translated veteran journalist and former Southern Weekly commentator Xiao Shu's comment on the Chinese authorities’ online annihilation tactics against Chinese liberal opinion leaders: In early August this year I was abducted by state security police. Under orders to bring me in for questioning, state security from Guangzhou...

Bangla Blogging Community Gears Up For The Fifth Bangla Blog Day

  18 December 2013

On December 15, 2005, Bangla Blogging started its journey through the largest Bangla Blogging platform Somewherein.net [bn] and the community grew larger every year. A section of the Bangla bloggers’ community started to observe December 19 as Bangla Blog Day since 2009. The fifth Bangla Blog day will be celebrated...