Stories about Freedom of Speech from October, 2021
Singapore's new law against ‘foreign interference’ threatens to undermine free speech
"The solution should never be to simply give the government more and more and more broad discretionary powers that can be used against citizens ..."
Facebook’s ‘Dangerous Individuals and Organizations’ list concerns Oromo users in Ethiopia
Facebook's categorization of the OLA as a dangerous group has made many Ethiopian Oromo Facebook users feel marginalized.
Publishing house removes section on transgender individuals from Russian translation of teen health book
According to the publisher, Belaya Vorona, making the book available to Russian teenagers was more important that "preserving the deleted information".
Turkish President declares 10 diplomats persona non grata
President Erdogan's decision to expel the ambassadors comes following a statement issued on October 18, 2021 by the embassies of ten countries on the ongoing detention of philanthropist Osman Kavala.
“Hong Kong, add oil” is censored as Pro-Beijingers associate the expression with sedition
"This paranoia says nothing but weakness. Changing shirts and covering up tattoos are easy things to do. Changing hears and minds? Forget about it."
In Georgia, there is still hope for rainbow colors
Global Voices spoke with Giorgi Tabagari, 35, founder of Tbilisi Pride on Georgia's recent anti-LGBTQ+ developments and the plight of the country's queer community.
Cats, crows and planet Earth: drawings by Belarusian political prisoners
Drawings sent to friends and family by Belarusian political prisoners, detained in a crackdown after the 2020 elections, provide an insight into their lives.
News site founders, editor resign under pressure from Kazakhstan's authorities
A sophisticated attack on Hola News's website kept it down for 10 days. The core team then abandoned the project, citing pressure from the authorities.
Bangladesh’s upcoming Data Protection Act may suppress, not protect, citizens rights
Analysts fear that a proposed data protection act in Bangladesh contains some loopholes including the indemnification of government agencies, which could be weaponized like the existing controversial Digital Security Act 2018.
Malaysian rapper Namewee breaks the hearts of mainland Chinese ‘little pinks’
"Sorry for hurting you. It’s okay to delete Weibo, Oh, I hear a sound, a fragile heart is broken into pieces... It’s Okay I still have IG and FB…"
Is the shutting down of Chinese LinkedIn the end of foreign big tech’s engagement with China?
What are the reasons behind Microsoft's decision to leave China? Product failure? China' newly enacted data security law? or the proposing algorium law?
In Belarus, subscribing to Telegram channels branded as ‘extremist’ may now get users in trouble
While it's not clear whether the Belarusian police will actually be able to dispense prison terms, "nobody can be sure" they won't be criminally charged for subscribing to Telegram channels.
Chinese movie ‘The Battle of Lake Changjin’ turns the painful history of the Korean War into a glorious victory
The official message of the film is that China gained a decisive victory in the battle of Chosin Reservoir and young people should learn from the fearless, "hot-blooded" soldiers.
Pakistan's proposed media development authority could further curb freedom of media
The representatives of different press clubs of the country have declared the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) “a media martial law” and rejected it outright.
Hope amid scarcity and fear: Cuba after July’s historic protests
"Cuba understood that it had the right to have rights."
Supporters demand freedom for Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El Fattah
His lawyer spoke of Abd El Fattah's declining mental health and quoted Abd El Fattah saying, “I can’t carry on.”
Global internet freedom trends in Turkey and South Caucasus, new report
While Georgia and Armenia were ranked "free" in this year's report, Turkey and Azerbaijan ranked "not free" as a result of the challenging atmosphere around digital rights and freedoms.
Chinese citizen journalist held incommunicado after COVID reporting reappears
Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi has returned. But other citizen journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak in China are still missing. Among them Zhang Zhan has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.
Campaign to brand Russian journalists and media ‘foreign agents’ picks up pace after elections
The effects of Russia’s ‘foreign agent’ legislation against media and civil society have been direct and deeply troubling. They are now, in effect, deemed ‘enemies of the people’.
Animal rights activist in North Macedonia threatened after blowing the whistle on possible lion cub trafficking
While handling lion cubs is forbidden by law in North Macedonia, social media posts by nouveau riche or would-be-influencers revealed them bragging about socializing with a cub nicknamed "Simba."
