Stories about Freedom of Speech from February, 2016
Can Goodwill Gestures Help End Burundi's Political Crisis?
Two blocked radios are permitted back on the air, arrest warrants were lifted and some prisoners to be freed -- yet many remain unconvinced about the government's good intentions.
Ukraine's Eurovision 2016 Entry Is About Stalin’s Repressions. Russia Isn't Thrilled.
Ukraine’s entry for the Eurovision 2016 music contest is a song about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the Stalin regime. So why are Russian officials upset?
Macedonian Court Rejects Appeal by Activist Sentenced for Defaming Pro-Government TV Host
Five years after the case first began, Macedonia's judiciary has finally rejected an appeal by an activist convicted defaming a pro-government television show host.
Saudi Arabia Sentences Twitter User to 10 Years in Prison and 2,000 Lashes for Apostasy
Saudi Arabia has sentenced a Twitter user to 10 years in prison in addition to 2,000 lashes for publishing 600 tweets "which spread atheism" online.
The Malaysian Insider News Website Blocked by Authorities for Posting ‘Unverified’ Report on Government Corruption
"Such unilateral action could also be construed as an attempt to intimidate the media against running critical news reports."
Anti-Extremism Police in Yakutia, Russia, Say They Have Ways of Finding You on WhatsApp
WhatsApp messenger is hugely popular in Yakutia—and the anti-extremist police force are on it.
Journalists Find Themselves the Target of India's ‘Anti-National’ Narrative
"As goons in black robes rampaged through the Delhi court house where Kanhaiya Kumar is being tried, they assaulted journalists not just on day one, but then once again..."
Prize-Winning Novelist's Facebook ‘Joke About White Guys’ Is Gone—and Back—in Less Than 24 Hours
Facebook's notorious "Community Standards" strike again. The victim in question: popular Jamaican novelist Marlon James.
Ukrainian Court Equates Social Network Profile With Mainstream Media
The social media pages containing "calls to overthrow authorities" were determined by the court to be "mass media" because they were public and accessible to an unlimited number of people.
UN Human Rights Official Pulls No Punches in Assessment of Hungary
After a nine-day visit, UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst highlighted the disheartening conditions human rights activists face in Hungary.
Egyptian Writer Ahmed Naji Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for His ‘Sexually Explicit’ Novel
Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji has been sentenced to two years in prison for publishing a chapter of his "sexually explicit" novel in a magazine.
China Won't Broadcast the Hong Kong Film Awards Because of Dystopian Nominee ‘Ten Years’
"What is so fearful about this film? The film has portrayed different thoughts and perspectives; this can be a starting point for communication and understanding."
Facts Be Damned. China's President Demands Media Outlets Parrot the Party Line
"When all the media are working for something other than the people's interest, people are left behind and forgotten."
Journalist Hit With Defamation Suit From Timor Leste's Prime Minister Over Corruption Reporting
It's the second time the journalist has faced legal action accusing defamation. This time, it's over his reporting on alleged irregularities in a computer equipment project in the Finance Ministry.
Indian Tribal Activist Soni Sori, ‘an Inconvenient Woman Who Speaks Inconvenient Truths’, Attacked
"Attack on Soni Sori is another attempt to muzzle the voice of dissent. One might disagree with one's views but this is no way to deal with."
Anabel Flores Becomes Yet Another Journalist From Mexico’s Veracruz to Be Killed
The murder of Anabel Flores adds to the distressing statistics which prove that Mexico is the most dangerous country in Latin America to practice journalism.
Hard Labor for Woman Who Reposted Online Criticism of Russia's Actions in Ukraine
A Russian court found Vologzheninova guilty of "discrediting the political order" and of "inciting enmity" by reposting or liking online material critical of Russia’s actions in Crimea and in Donbas.
Protests at Indian Universities Add Fuel to Public Outrage Over Sedition Laws
The arrest of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges has posed a rare legitimacy test for Prime Minister Nahendra Modi and his "intolerant" ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The KRA Factor: The Shaming of Kadyrov’s Online Critics
The Chechen ideologists have invented a highly effective way of influencing their online critics. The method has been tested in Chechnya and is now being used outside of the republic.
Venezuela's President Finally Discovers Facebook, a Decade After the Social Network's Arrival
"I refuse to be a hypocrite or a brown-noser, you know that the country is in a bad way, due to your and your cabinet's ineptitude."
Stranger Than Fiction? Two Puppeteers Charged With ‘Glorifying Terrorism’ in Spain
"Following this legal reasoning, Francis Ford Coppola could be charged for the crimes that happen in The Godfather."
