Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2014
Azerbaijan's President Doesn't Really Get Twitter. He Doesn't Really Get Azerbaijan, Either
Azeri president Ilham Aliyev's official Twitter feed is so bad it is funny. But behind the comedy lurks the darker realities Aliyev's bumbling forays into social media are covering up.
Ukraine Asks Facebook’s Zuckerberg to Discipline Kremlin Bots
Ukrainian Facebook users have complained to Mark Zuckerberg himself that their accounts are being blocked on the site in droves—and they're blaming the Kremlin's bot army.
Activist Blogger in Vietnam Gets 3 Years Behind Bars for ‘Obstructing Traffic’
A court has sentenced a prominent Vietnamese activist blogger to three years in prison for posing a “serious obstruction to traffic.” Her two other companions will join her behind bars.
Ukraine Blows Up Twitter with News of Russian Invasion
As Russia expanded its push across the Ukrainian border in what the media described as a stealth invasion, Ukrainian Twitter users replied with thousands of posts and trending hashtags.
Two Months After Flooding, Digital Freedoms in Serbia Are Still in Trouble
In the wake of devastating floods that hit Serbia in May 2014, several local websites that published materials that criticized the government's relief efforts suffered technical attacks.
Documenting Nationalistic Hate Speech in Macedonian Media
Human rights expert, activist, and blogger Žarko Trajanoski published a series of analyses about nationalistic, right-wing hate speech in Macedonian media, often veiled as “patriotic” speech. „Патриотскиот“ говор на омраза...
Serbia’s ‘Declaration of Internet Freedom’ Wins Big Support from Western Dignitaries
Serbian bloggers have drafted a Declaration of Internet Freedom, and representatives of the international community are showing their support.
Macedonian Police Harass Journalists Covering Protests
Police harassment of media seems to have become a regular occurrence in Macedonia, which has included the detainment and sentencing of some journalists in the country. On August 25, 2014,...
Blogger Law Traps Russia's Activists in Limbo
The new blogger law's vagueness makes it an extremely potent tool for controlling dissent in Russia.
China Blocks Beijing Independent Film Festival
Beijing authorities blocked an annual independent film festival from opening on August 23, 2014. The move is seen as a sign that Beijing is tightening ideological controls. According to indie director Huang...
Leaked Documents Reveal How the Chinese Communist Party Channels Public Opinion
What exactly do China's online "opinion analysts" do? A recent scandal at Peking University sheds light on the question.
‘Revolutionary’ Band Laal Speaks Out Against Pakistan's Facebook and YouTube Bans
As Pakistan continues to restrict access to YouTube and Facebook, activist band Laal discusses the silencing effect that these bans have on artists, and discusses the future of free expression.
Critics Fear Bangladesh's New Media Monitoring Policy Will Stifle Free Expression
Questions have been raised by many about the new draft broadcasting policy of Bangladesh. Such a policy was much due, but analysts say its regressive and will control the media.
Google Docs in Amharic: A Security Tool for Ethiopian Bloggers
Cyber Ethiopia explains why Google Docs in Amharic is an important internet security tool for Ethiopian bloggers and how to enable it: The Ethiopian government uses many methods to spy...
Indian News Portal Says Thomson Reuters Has ‘Unethical’ Understanding of Copyright
Thomson Reuters sent an email to MediaNama saying it would use and redistribute the portal's content if MediaNama didn't refuse consent within 14 days.
Ukrainian Daredevil Climber Admits to Painting the Moscow Star in Ukraine's Colors
The story of Russia's colour revolution has taken a new turn: a famous Ukrainian roofer Mustang Wanted admitted painting the star atop a high-rise in Moscow yellow and blue.
Advocates Petition UN for Action on Jailed Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Media Legal Defence Initiative asked the UN to intervene immediately in the case of Abd El Fattah, who began a hunger strike this week.
Indian Broadcaster NDTV's Report on Gaza Rocket Launch Becomes Fodder for Propaganda
NDTV journalists caught militants assembling a rocket in Gaza on camera, but the story has been "distorted by the twin forces of internet virality and the Israel-Palestinian spin machine."
Russia Finally Gets Its Color Revolution
The race to desecrate national symbols seems to be taking its toll on Moscow officials, who found it necessary to arrest several painters for using the colors yellow and blue.
Cubans Join Authorised Users of Google Chrome
Google Chrome finally becomes “legal” in Cuba and blogger Yoani Sanchez says that she gleans great satisfaction from “knowing that the opinions of citizens interested in the free flow of...
Moscow Shutters 4 McDonalds for Poor Sanitation, But You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Russia closed four McDonald's locations in Moscow for "sanitary violations" in what some say is another stage of the sanctions war. The RuNet exploded with disbelief—and photos of Russian bathrooms.
