Stories about Freedom of Speech from November, 2009
Czech Republic, Slovakia: Velvet Revolution, 20 Years On
On Nov. 17, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, and The Czech Daily Word lists “most frequent stupid arguments and errors” of those who believe that “the era of communism was better than the post-revolution times.”
Russia: Medvedev's Speech and IT; Twitter and the Police
Profy writes about the IT dimension of president Medvedev's annual address: “The draft speech was initially published online as a lengthy article by the president and he invited all the citizens to voice their opinions out via the Kremlin official website – and people were definitely very willing to participate...
Azerbaijan: Prison Diary
AdnanEmin's Blog, Prison Diary, a new blog from Azerbaijan, has been set up to republish letters sent from prison in the oil-rich former Soviet republic by Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two detained video blogging youth activists sentenced last week and considered by Amnesty International to be prisoners of conscience....
China: Obama and Chinese Netizens
C. Custer from ChinaGeeks translated Chang Ping's blog post on Obama's visit and Chinese netizens’ aspiration for free speech and information.
Russia: Luzhkov vs NYTimes; “Destruction of Old Moscow”
IZO posts a translation of an open letter to president Medvedev “about the destruction of old Moscow under Mayor Luzhkov,” written by urbanism scholar Yuri Bocharov. Russia! reports on the defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, filed and won by the Moscow mayor.
Georgia: Reaction to lack of media attention on Azerbaijan bloggers’ trial
Following last week's sentence on two video bloggers in Azerbaijan, some blogs in neighboring Georgia have posted critical entries condemning the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. This also extends to the lack of coverage in the local media.
Blogger Profiles: Caribé, an incurable idealist and cyberactivist in Brazil
Global Voices Online has interviewed João Carlos Caribé, one of the most influential cyberactivist bloggers in Brazil and the man behind the Mega Não movement, that fights censorship in the Brazilian Internet.
France: Does Prestigious Literary Award Entail a “Duty of Restraint” ?
The start of this year's French literary season saw French-Senegalese novelist and playwright Marie N'Diaye awarded a much-awaited Prix Goncourt. However, N'Diaye and her family moved to Berlin two years ago, in large part because of French president Nicolas Sarkozy's politics. Will this be another opportunity to celebrate diversity in a changing French society? Or will the moment be spoiled by controversy?
Azerbaijan: More reaction to video blogger trial verdict
Days after the sentencing of two video blogging youth activists in Azerbaijan, other bloggers are starting to speak out about the imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. The two online activists will spend 2 and 2.5 years in jail after a trial which most consider to be politically motivated...
Cambodia: Journalist charged with defamation
Ros Sokhet, a journalist well known in Cambodia for his contribution to the English language media, was arrested on October 30th and charged with defamation. The arrest generated a debate on alleged corruption in the media industry
Qatar: No one is above the law – really?
Doha bloggers bemused, incredulous and wistful by official remarks that no one in Qatar is above the law. A debate over the merits of that statement quickly evolves into a discussion on press freedom, as more clamor for a new law press law, free from any imprisonment penalties against journalists.
Bahamas: Sister's Keeper
“We women survivors of violence of all kinds must break this collective silence…and we women who enjoy relative freedom and safety must extend our hands and voices to our sisters who do not, because we are not free until all are free”: The Bahamas’ Womanish Words calls on women to...
The 5th Chinese blogger conference: micro power and a broader world
The 5th Chinese blogger conference took place last weekend in a rural county Lianzhou in northern part of Guangdong province. Despite the inconvenient traffic, there were around 150 participants from China and overseas attended the conference. The conference slogan this year is “Micro power and a boarder world”, the organizing...
Puerto Rico: Talking ‘Bout A Revolution
Gil the Jenius suggests that the recent protests in Puerto Rico weren't enough.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Bloggers & Violence
Both writing for Havana Times, Circles Robinson reports that the U.S. government has criticized the recent seizure of blogger Yoani Sanchez and two of her peers, noting that “Cuba maintains its rejection of any interference of the US government in its internal affairs”, while Pedro Campos suggests that “to reject...
Cambodia: Online press freedom
Sopheap Chak explains why “online press freedom is emerging as the new digital democracy” in Cambodia. The writer adds that blogs and websites are enjoying more freedom from government censorship.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers sentenced
As many of their supporters feared, and on the same day as a round table on the case against two detained video blogging youth activists, a court in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier passed sentence on Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. The verdict and first reaction spread on Twitter.
Cuba: Of Victims & Violence
In the aftermath of her seizure by state authorities, Generation Y admonishes those who may be adopting a “blame the victim stance, while Claudia Cadelo says she prefers being a victim to being the executioner. Havana Times, meanwhile, posts a piece about the march against violence on the way to...
Hungary: Comments on the Interview with Imre Kertész
The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall has inspired Hungarian bloggers, too: they are discussing an interview with Imre Kertész, a Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author living in Berlin, which appeared in the German newspaper Die Welt.
Ukraine: Flu Stats, Panic, Gauze Masks (and Some Lingerie)
According to Ukraine's Health Ministry, 1,031,597 people in Ukraine have fallen ill with "flu, acute respiratory illness and their complications (pneumonia, etc.)" between Oct. 29 and Nov. 9 - and 174 of them have died. In the Ukrainian blogosphere, much of the discussion of the current medical emergency focuses on whether there are enough reasons to panic or not.
Uganda & Kenya: In Search of e-Governance
Good governance has been linked to gains in economic and human development. Governments have begun using technologies to offer more citizen services, expand transparency and make information more accessible. We look at how Kenya and Uganda use ICTs to create better governance.
