Stories about Freedom of Speech from January, 2022
Russia rose to second place globally in Twitter content removal requests
Russia came in second place after Japan and accounted for 25 percent of global Twitter takedown requests in January-June 2021. Most requests targeted content that allegedly violated local laws against suicide promotion.
Azerbaijan is silent as other nations announce plans to boycott the Beijing Olympics
The country's leadership and its National Olympic Committee have remained notably silent when discussing the host country's dismal human rights record.
To flee or not to flee? That is the question in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankans are facing the bleak prospect of a full-blown economic crisis, and one in four, mainly the young and educated, say they want to leave the country.
‘Rebel’ candidates risk it all: Elections in Bangladesh
Electoral violence in fact has flared up within the ranks of the Awami League itself, as prospective candidates compete to be nominated by the party.
Tennis star Peng Shuai and Professor Gulnar Obul: From captives to actors
The fate of a tennis star and a professor who had criticized the Chinese leadership showed a similar pattern. The critique turned into a forced public support.
Philippines’s new vaccine mandate decried as punitive and anti-poor
"This measure is punitive. The low vaccination rate should not be blamed on the people especially if supplies are not always available."
Why a writer is on trial for calling Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s son obese
An unapologetic critic of the Museveni government, Kakwenza rose to prominence in April 2020 when he was arrested and detained for a week by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.
Belarusian cyberactivists claim railway system hack to protest Russian troop movements
The hacker collective said it would be prepared to hand over encryption keys if 50 Belarusian political prisoners were released and the presence of Russian troops in Belarus was “prevented.”
In Turkey, a singer defies threats with a new song
The president, speaking after Friday noon prayer, said "no one can defame his holiness Adam. It is our duty, to rip out the tongues of those who do when necessary."
Media crackdown continues ahead of coup anniversary in Myanmar
"He is the third journalist to be killed in Myanmar in less than a month, in a sign of the absolutely unacceptable practices increasingly employed by the junta."
Police violently break up Afghan refugee protest in Indonesia
Some refugees in Indonesia have been in limbo for more than 10 years. Protesters gathered outside the UNHCR building in Medan to call for resettlement and demand better living conditions.
In Turkey, a veteran pop star is facing scrutiny over song lyrics
The 67-year-old singer-songwriter, Sezen Aksu, is being accused of degrading religious values because one sentence in her song reads, "Give my regards to the ignorant Eve and Adam."
Twitter's deal with Nigerian government sacrifices digital rights
Considering the Nigerian government’s temperamental past, violation of citizens' online freedom of expression will be much easier because Twitter is now a registered and taxable company under Nigerian laws.
Bulli Bai, Sulli Deals cases highlight rising communal misogyny in India
More than a hundred Muslim women in India woke up to find themselves up for auction on an app on the morning of January 1, 2022. It has since been taken down.
A 2019 Kazakh song about Nur-Sultan reads like news commentary in January 2022
A three-year old song describes in prophetic tones the violence that rocked Kazakhstan in January 2022 and speaks about the state of mind of many Kazakhs.
Death of a student sparks debate on religious community-run housing in Turkey
With Kara's death, controversy over private religious community-run housing has emerged, with critics calling on the AKP to abolish these dormitories and turn them into public student housing.
In Georgia, six months after the tragic death of journalist, authorities blame drug overdose
The same day, authorities claimed Lashkarava died from drug overdose, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Laskharava's name to its observatory of killed journalists in 2021.
Erdoğan and the AKP's war with art and culture
In the years since the ascent to power, President Erdoğan's, ruling, Justice and Development Party (AKP) has slowly taken under its control much of the country's art and culture scene.
The myth of a stable Kazakhstan is shattered within a day as neighbours watch anxiously
In one day Kazakhstan dismissed its government, shut down the internet, and imposed a national curfew. People destroyed or took over key government buildings and even the airport in Almaty.
Indians give Chinese places hilarious names after China renames 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh
As China renamed 15 places in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, Indians on Twitter responded by renaming Chinese places with Indian names.
A year later, Boğaziçi University continues to resist
While the controversial government appointed rector Melih Bulu, has been removed, academics and students continue to protest on campus.