Stories about Freedom of Speech from March, 2010
Haiti: Reconstruction for Haitians or with Haitians
Haitian Alterpresse republishes a letter [Creole] from Haitian social organisations which openly criticise the Donor's Conference which took place in the Dominican Republic on March 17th. According to them, it will not lead to a long-term development project nor include the population in the reconstruction scheme. Here is the French...
Best of Blogs Awards: Don't forget to vote!
The international Best of Blogs Awards, organized by Deutsche Welle, have entered the final voting phase. You may now vote online until April 14, 2010, for your favorite blog(s) in eleven languages and various categories, including freedom of expression and climate change.
Russia: Prosecuted Blogger Receives Journalist Award
Mikhail Afanasyev (aka LJ user rukhakasia), blogger from Abakan, Eastern Siberia, received a Journalist Union Award “For Professional Achievement” for a series of articles about the accident at Sayano-Shushenskaya dam, Echo Moskvy reported. The articles led to a criminal case initiated against Afanasyev, which was closed later due to lack...
Russia: Bank Employee Spoils Credit History for $0.26
Blogger logra published the recording of her conversation with a Russian bank employee who called her and in a strikingly impolite manner said he would spoil her credit history for the debt of 26 cents on her account. Logra's post gathered almost 3500 comments, seriously undermining the reputation of the...
Russia: Actor Calls Against Cooperation with Government
Russian actor Aleksey Devotchenko wrote a desperate post about what professional actors can do to express their protest against current political regime. Among the measures proposed are: not to stage in ‘patriotic’ movies, not to participate in concerts organized by police or FSB and so on.
Dubai: Iranian Blogger Omid Reza Mirsayafi Remembered
About 40 young people from all four corners of the world came together in a cafe in Dubai and remembered the first anniversary of the death of Iranian Omid Reza Mirsayafi, the first blogger to die in prison. The meeting also reflected on the March 18 Movement, OR318, via art.
Tajikistan: Free speech vs. courts
The saga of three judges and three newspapers continues in Tajikistan and has taken an interesting turn as the journalists fight back with a new recording revealing the corruption in the Supreme Court, neweurasia’s Alpharabius reports.
“Damas de Blanco:” A Week of Protest in Cuba
Cuba's Damas de Blanco protests come on the heels of a flutter of international condemnation incited by the hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo's death last month. Wednesday's crackdown by Cuban police was the first in two years on the political group, which is made up of the daughters, wives and mothers of imprisoned political dissidents.
Serbia: Diaspora Serb's Musings on “Serbs, Media, Justice and Me!”
A Diaspora Serb's views on collective blame, collective guilt and other relevant issues – at Balkan Anarchist.
Russia: “Battle for Khimki Forest”
A detailed account of the ongoing “battle for Khimki Forest” – by Yevgeniya Chirikova at OpenDemocracy.net: “The plan to construct a section of the new Moscow-St.Petersburg motorway through the legally-protected Khimki Forest Park will destroy a rare eco-system. Dogged local resistance has turned this into a national, even international issue....
Russia: Andrei Loshak's Text on Corruption
Andrei Loshak's much-discussed text about corruption and “the normal functioning of an irrational system” in Russia has been translated into English by OpenDemocracy.net (the Russian-language original is at OpenSpace.ru).
Maldives: Extremist Blogger
Yaamyn talks about an extremist blogger who has issued death threats to a number of people including another blogger and the first lady of the Maldives.
Cuba: Peace Prize Nominee
Uncommon Sense confirms that Cuban dissident leader Oswaldo Payá has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying, “There should be little doubt that if he were to be named this year's recipient, it would elevate his status and that of the entire dissident movement on the island. And it...
China and U.S: Rhetorics on Google's Exit
Kai Pan from china / divide criticizes western rhetorics in discussing Google's exit from China. The blogger in particular comments on Nicole Kempton piece on the Huffington Post that neglects democratic countries’ role in advocating Internet censorship.
China: Verdict postponed in Fujian netizen trial
A verdict expected this morning in a case which has seen three netizens in Fujian province held in custody for nine months was quickly postponed pending yet further investigation. Following the decision, locals gathered outside the courthouse had minor scuffles with police while netizens having traveled there from around the country reported.
Belarus: Blogger Attempts to Run Internet Election Campaign
Information Policy writes about a Belarusian blogger's failed attempt to run for Minsk city council, the use of internet in his campaign – and the new internet regulations that might soon be introduced in Belarus: “Lipkovich noted that his video interview in which he had announces his intention to step...
UK: Foreign Office on Ukraine and Belarus
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about London's “intense interest in what's going on in Ukraine.” Belarus Digest reports that UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband (whose blog is here) “singled out Belarus in his introduction to the Foreign Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights 2009.”
Nigeria: “Enough is Enough!” youth march on the capital
On Tuesday, March 16, thousands of Nigerians marched on the capital, Abuja, to show their frustration with the woes that continue to besiege the country. This sort of protest has not been a common feature of the Nigerian political scene, at least not in this decade, though the demonstration is one of several that have taken place this year.
Saudi Arabia: 1,000 lashes for YouTube video
A Saudi man has been charged for morality crimes after a video appeared on YouTube where he is dressed in police uniform, dancing and flirting with the male cameraman. He has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a 5,000 rial ($1,333) fine and a year in prison. Katharine Ganly takes a look at some blogger reactions.
Iranian women's rights website wins RSF online freedom award
Reporters without Borders and Google have awarded Iranian women's rights website We-change with a "Netizen Prize" for their work in defense of freedom of expression.
China: Various aspects of censorship
March 12 was the World Day Against Cyber Censorship and Reporters Without Borders announced its latest list of "Enemies of the Internet," which points a finger at China, among other authoritarian states.
