Stories about Freedom of Speech from December, 2010
Jordan: Sentencing of Critical Football Club President
Former Jordanian MP and Wihdat football club president Tareq Sami Khoury had been sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting and insulting a gendarme officer. Netizens react to the sentence.
Singapore: Weaknesses of the media
Caroline Ng proposes the liberalization of the media landscape in Singapore to foster democracy and free access to information.
Mexico: Indigenous People Denounce Mining Project on Sacred Site
The Indigenous Huichol People of Mexico are denouncing a Canadian mining project that is threatening one of their sacred sites and that, if completed, would endanger their health and water supply.
Poland: Blog Forum Gdansk
Arzu Geybullayeva writes about this year's Blog Forum Gdańsk, highlighting Polish bloggers' views on some of the issues discussed at the event.
Caribbean: Defining Moments of 2010
Many landmark events happened in the Caribbean this year, prompting reactions from the regional blogosphere. Here's a look back at some of the most important stories of 2010...
Cuba: A Cuban Christmas
Iván's File Cabinet says that “although the city does not have a Christmas atmosphere…in their way, Cubans celebrate Christmas.”
Brazil: Act in support of WikiLeaks
The video of a debate in support of WikiLeaks, with the participation of its Brazilian representative, Natália Viana, and many cyberactivists, is available at the blog Maria Frô [pt]. The event was promoted by Intervozes [pt] – an organization advocating for freedom of expression and the democratization of communication.
Cyber Scout: Thailand’s internet police?
The government of Thailand is recruiting young people to join the ‘cyber scout’ program which is tasked to defend the royal institution in the internet. Is it an initiative to bridge the digital divide as the government claims or is it a censorship tool?
Global: New ‘Digital Rights Watch’ Wiki
Digital RIghts Watch is a new wiki for mapping legal issues like censorship, surveillance and intellectual property around the world.
Caucasus: The Year in Review
With 2011 nearly upon us, the year in new and social media in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia during 2010 was surprisingly positive. So, what did the past year hold in store for the South Caucasus? Read on.
China: Legal action threatened over #netfreedom violation
Sina blogger Wu Fei has written a letter to Tencent CEO Ma Huateng threatening legal action over the company's specific practice of filtering from QQ one term protected by the constitution and used across the Chinese Internet, government websites included: “freedom of speech”.
Belarus: More on the Post-Election Situation
Democratist and Jamestown Foundation Blog discuss the post-election situation in Belarus; Information Policy writes about the hijacking of “independent media sites” during the election.
Russia: Media Coverage of Manezh Riots
A Good Treaty posts a detailed review of the Russian press coverage of the Manezh riots in Moscow.
Hungary: New Media Law and Censorship
BloggingPortal.eu and Hungarian Spectrum (here and here) discuss Hungary's new media law. According to BloggingPortal.eu, “[u]nder this new law, a National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) will be set up – a body that Reuters reports will be ‘dominated by people loyal to the ruling Fidesz party.’ Members of this...
Cuba: “The Year of Zapata”
Uncommon Sense has declared 2010 “The Year of Zapata”. Read the blogger's full Top 10 List of Cubans who made a difference this year, here.
Russia: Newspaper Announces Its Partnership with Wikileaks
Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta known for its critical stance toward Russian authorities announced today its official partnership with notorious Wikileaks. This came as a punch toward less-known magazine Russian Reporter that, until now, claimed to be the official partner of Wikileaks.
Cuba: Making a Difference
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense continues his list of the Top 10 Cubans who made a difference this year.
2010 Chinese blogosphere: Peace and conflict
The top stories among Chinese communities in Northeast Asia in 2010 can be summarized in two words: Peace and Conflict.
Puerto Rico: A Charming Podcast with Plenty of Bite
The members of the podcast Kitty Kitty Dinosaur come from all walks of life. The team tries to take some time off their busy schedules every two weeks or so to talk about the current media climate and state of affairs in Puerto Rico. Global Voices interviewed them about the Puerto Rican blogosphere, social media networks, online freedom of expression, mainstream media and gender.
Cuba: More Top 10
Uncommon Sense continues his list of the Top Ten Cubans who made an impact in 2010, here and here.
Côte d'Ivoire: Ivorian Internet Users Fear a New Era of Terror in Abidjan
The political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire is getting increasingly violent. According to the UN, 50 people were killed and 200 injured for the past three days. Traditional media were shunned from showing scenes of violence during some of the skirmishes but internet users managed to publish some video footage of the violence around the country.
