Stories about Freedom of Speech from June, 2020
Milada Horáková: 70 years after her sham trial and execution, Czechs reflect on their communist past
A creative visual campaign reopens old wounds as Czech society reflects on their communist past and the victims of Stalinist sham trials, including the feminist Milada Horáková.
From prison to exile: An interview with Vietnamese activist Tran Thi Nga
A former prisoner of conscience talks about her experience after she was arrested and the impact her incarceration had on her family.
Thailand's ‘youthquake': Activism in the time of COVID-19
Pro-democracy flash mob protests rocked Thailand in January and February. COVID-19 has shifted acts of resistance to cyberspace.
Timor-Leste plans to restore criminal defamation law amid concerns about its free speech impact
"This draft law threatens everyone, particularly vulnerable people without political connections or financial resources. "
Philippines media faces ‘eternal threat of punishment’ after cyber libel convictions
"If we can’t hold power to account, we can’t do anything," Rappler CEO Maria Ressa said after her conviction.
How can Nepal's literary tradition make its mark on the global scene?
Director of Global Literature in Libraries Initiatives shares insights into how Nepali literature can reach wider audiences.
A new game plays with ideas about how disinformation works in East Africa
"Chose Your Own Fake News" is an online game that teaches new internet users how to be more discerning about the information they receive and encounter in digital spaces.
COVID-19 is rapidly exhausting Bangladesh healthcare system amidst alarming rise of infected people
As Bangladesh tries to figure out which lockdown measure is the answer, public healthcare systems are failing largely, resulting in no signs of the COVID-19 contraction curve plateauing.
Malaysia’s new government probes journalists, critics despite free speech pledge
Civic groups argue that the Communications and Multimedia Act is being wielded as a weapon against free speech.
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: When diaries become citizen reports
"As time passes, diaries are like caterpillars transforming into butterflies."
Post-crisis hackathon: Ecuadorian NGOs crowdsource for a world after COVID-19
More than 550 people registered for a hackathon to find solutions for Ecuador's post-COVID-19 future.
Information warfare: COVID-19’s other battleground in the Middle East
As leaders vie to frame narratives and control public opinion on COVID-19, social media is a battlefield where influencers, trolls, bots, and commenter armies fight for influence and power.
The mural will not be whitewashed: How dissident poet Joseph Brodsky continues to inspire free-thinking Russians
The 80th anniversary of the birth of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky was marked in Russia by an incident highlighting the special place writers still hold in Russian political culture.
The future of protest in Uganda
There are parallels between police brutality in the US and Uganda, a country still haunted by the ghosts of its violent past.
Silicon Valley tech giants race to build Africa's internet infrastructure. Should Africa worry?
Google and Facebook are building undersea internet cables for Africans with access to high-speed internet — but 33 nations in Africa still don't have comprehensive data privacy laws.
‘A possible violation’: Mexico's biggest telecommunications operator is blocking Tor network
The Tor network is a free and open-source software used throughout the world by those who wish to exercise their freedom of expression and information while maintaining their privacy and anonymity.
How COVID-19 is intensifying content moderation’s flaws
Internet platforms have always struggled with free expression, misinformation, and hate speech. But the COVID crisis has elevated those problems to a new level
Pakistan blocks Twitter, Zoom and Periscope to curb critical voices
In mid-May, Twitter, Zoom and Persicope were either blocked or throttled across Pakistan. Activists say the move was meant to target a few web conferences on human rights issues.
As COVID-19 accelerates digital transformation, is the internet safe for women in the Middle East?
Women activists and journalists experience are particularly targeted online in attempts to intimidate, sow disinformation and discredit their work.