Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2008
China: iTunes is blocked and it's Apple's fault
Silicon Hutong blogger David Wolf notes that the iTunes Music Store is now blocked in China, assumes this was due to the release on iTunes of a Tibetan music album, assumes Apple chose to release it during the Olympics as an act of “passive-aggressive panda-punching,” and then advises Apple choose...
Malaysia: Avril Lavigne is too sexy?
The youth wing of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party is urging the government to cancel the scheduled concert of singer Avril Lavigne in Malaysia because the singer is deemed too sexy. Blogger My Little Sanctuary is angry.
Mexico: Attempt to Close Radio Ñomndaa
Notilibertas [es] posts a video about the attempt by federal police to close Radio Ñomndaa, an indigenous radio station in Guerrero, Mexico.
Russia: Three Anniversaries
Window on Eurasia writes about “the lessons of three anniversaries”: “Today is the 10th anniversary of Russia’s default on its international financial obligations and the 17th anniversary of the launch of the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev that precipitated the end of the Soviet Union, and tomorrow is the 40th...
Cuba: Corrupt Survival
“At his young age, he already understands that it doesn’t matter how many times you cross the line of illegality as long as you keep applauding. For him, if they let him continue to line his pockets, socialism could well be eternal”: Yoani Sanchez blogs about corruption and its strong...
China: Free Wu Dianyuan And Wang Xiuying!
On the arrest and sentence to one year of re-education labor for housing activists Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying, aged 79 and 77 respectively, David Seth at Daily Kos writes: We need to call on China to free Wu Dianyuan And Wang Xiuying, and everyone else they are holding to...
Angola: Electoral campaign fails to excite voters
After 16 years without the right to vote, Angolans have been savouring the taste of the election campaign for almost a month now. Contrary to expectations, there is a lukewarm atmosphere around the capital Luanda. Clara Onofre shows why electors are not impressed.
Estonia: Olympics Champion; Song Festival
Itching for Eestimaa writes about an Estonian Olympics champion Gerd Kanter and last night's song festival that “served various functions”: “Ostensibly, it was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the major events of the Singing Revolution. But it was also a celebration of independence on the eve of the...
China: Checking up on Olympics uncensorship
A post from sw at the OpenNet Initiative blog looks at results of tests carried out during the first week of the Olympics and finds that while in fact not many websites have been unblocked for the Games, those that are can now be accessed all throughout Beijing and possibly...
Silencing online speech in Tunisia
Blocking web 2.0 websites (Youtube, Dailymotion, Facebook) and barring access to local outspoken websites and blogs is the most obvious way of cracking down of the online free speech in Tunisia. It should be emphasized, however, that this is only one tool in the regime’s hand. Tunisia has adapted to the web 2.0 revolution by developing a broader strategy composed of a wide range of instruments
Russia, Georgia: Coverage of the Conflict
Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow reviews coverage of the Russian-Georgian conflict and lists some online resources.
Russia: Dmitry Solovyov's Case
Oleg Kozlovsky writes about the case of Dmitry Soloviev, an opposition activist from Kemerovo region, “accused of ‘inciting hatred, hostility and degrading’ the police and FSB by posting several entries in his LiveJournal blog.”
Poland: Weightlifter Makes Tibet Protest
Tybet Watch in Poland reports that Polish weightlifter Szymon Kołecki, who won a silver medal in yesterday's competition at the Beijing Olympics, shaved his head in a gesture of solidarity with the Tibetan monks.
Russia, Georgia: Gia Jandieri's Notes at Andrei Illarionov's Blog
LJ user aillarionov – Andrei Illarionov, former economic policy adviser to Vladimir Putin – has posted a detailed “Timeline of Events in the Russians Invasion & Occupation of Georgia” (Aug. 1 – 16, 2008), sent to him by Gia Jandieri, vice president of the New Economic School – Georgia. Illarionov...
Turkey: Bloggers Banning Themselves?
If you are a long-time follower of the Turkish blogosphere you will have undoubtedly heard about the Turkish ban on Wordpress....and the periodic bans on YouTube, and on the social-networking widget site Slide, oh..and now on Dailymotion as well. I think that is all? Isn't it? It is hard to keep track now-a-days and frustrating. Turkish bloggers feel the same way too, and are protesting the constant banning of sites by voluntarily banning their own.
China: Don't be Afraid of the 50 Cents
Yan Yunfei recently faced a lot of internet bullying in his blog when he commented on Olympics. He wasn't sure whether the comments came from the 50 cents gang and urged other bloggers not to be afraid of the government leaded Internet opinion mob, as he believed in the power...
Blogger of the Week: Lydia Beyoud
Today's Blogger of the Week is Lydia Beyoud - a writer and listener at heart, and a thinker, who has recently become a doer. This is how the blogger, who has five languages under her belt, describes herself. From Portland, Oregon, Lydia covers Moroccan blogs written in French. What is her relationship with blogging and Morocco? Read on to find out.
Egypt: Farewell Twitter SMS
A few days ago, Egypt woke up to the sad news that Twitter is no longer delivering outbound SMS to few countries, including Egypt. Lasto Adri reviews the Egyptian blogosphere, which is already looking for alternatives, for reactions.
Bahrain: Code of Ethics Site Launched
“In order to consolidate all our efforts regarding the Code of Ethics Against Hate Speech and the mechanisms which will be adopted in the future to effect the Code and oversee it, I have registered and authored a new site [Ar] specifically for that purpose,” says Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al...
Georgia, Russia: The War's Virtual Dimension
Like most other contemporary conflicts, the ongoing one in Georgia and South Ossetia has had a virtual dimension from its very start. Below are two bloggers' reflections on the wars raging outside the actual conflict zones.
Iran: “Go Live in your Lovely Israel, Mr. Vice President”
Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, the Iranian vice president for tourism and the director of the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization, has been under fire after he declared that Iran is “a friend of all people in the world, even Israelis and Americans.” Now 200 legislators in the Iranian parliament have asked President Mahmoud Ahmadinehad to dismiss him.
