· February, 2011

Stories about Freedom of Speech from February, 2011

China: Ran Yunfei charged with inciting subversion

  24 February 2011

Five days after he was detained, the family of Sichuan writer, scholar and blogger Ran Yunfei was notified today that Ran has officially been charged with inciting subversion of state power. Dark f**ing days indeed. [Note: People are now saying Ran has in fact been charged with the more serious...

South Korea: Amnesty International Condemns Korean Government's Censorship.

  24 February 2011

Amnesty International has condemned the convictionof eight South Koreans who are members of the Socialist Workers League. All eight men were found guilty under the National Security Law for “propagating or instigating a rebellion against the State’. Amnesty International criticized the law has been used to justify a form of censorship.

China: The Risk of Shutting Up Sina Weibo is Zero!?

  24 February 2011

The reaction of the Chinese government towards the anonymous “Jasmine Revolution” message circulated around overseas dissident websites and Twitter has alerted investment banks’ analysts to cut the rating of Sina's stock value. Some banks apparently anticipate an increase in the risk of the Chinese government tightening regulations on social media,...

Saudi Arabia: The Return of King Abdullah

  23 February 2011

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz returned home on Wednesday 23 February, 2011, after a three month period abroad for medical treatment. Anticipation of serious political and economic reforms filled the air upon his arrival. Here is a snapshot of the reactions of Saudi netizens.

Macedonia: Global Voices Featured on a TV Show

  23 February 2011

GV author Filip Stojanovski was interviewed [MKD] for the TV show Nie (“We”) on the topic of “Kale, Internet, political parties, Facebook!? Whose fault is it?”, where he spoke about the importance of citizen media and Global Voices. The show also included a segment of Ethan Zuckerman's TED talk.

China: Playing Revolution on Twitter

  23 February 2011

Two small protests on Sunday have been declared the beginning of China's own revolution, and yes, it all started on Twitter. Many felt leading up to the protests that they would prove to be little more than performance art, but now wonder if the heavy-handed response from authorities has created something bigger.

Cuba: The Memory of Zapata

  23 February 2011

“Sometimes the end of person cements his name in history forever”: Generation Y blogs about Orlando Zapata Tamayo on the first anniversary of his death.

China: What a Beautiful Sensitive Word

  23 February 2011

China Digital Times translated technology blogger Jason Ng's post on “What a beautiful sensitive word” describing how the security police had helped promote the Jasmine Revolution by arresting a large number of dissidents and opinion leaders over an anonymous tweet.

Russia: One-Person Rallies by the Embassy of Libya

RuNet Echo  23 February 2011

LJ user notavailablenow reports (RUS) on an hour-long series of one-person pickets held across the street from the Embassy of Libya in Moscow on Tuesday by two citizen activists, who took turns holding up a poster that read “Stop state terrorism.” First, however, the activists had to educate and argue...

Bahrain: Loyalty to the Martyrs

  22 February 2011

Since Saturday, anti government protesters have been protesting peacefully and freely at Pearl (Lulu) Roundabout. Today marked the eighth day of Bahrain's Day of Wrath protests, as Bahrain's opposition parties organized a mass march from Bahrain Mall to Pearl (Lulu) Roundabout as a sign of loyalty to the eight fallen martyrs from the protests.

Cuba: Masses for Tamayo

  22 February 2011

Uncommon Sense reports that “State Security agents this week have been warning parishes in Havana to not celebrate Masses to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo.”

USA: Journalists, Lawyers Forced to Handover Data At Airports

  22 February 2011

Several American journalists and lawyers who work abroad regularly, have their laptops, flash drives, notebooks and business cards copied by immigration authorities at airports, according to the ACLU. Amy Goodman shares the story of journalist Brandon Jourdan, who says it's happened to him seven times.

Taiwan:Is Central News Agency Censoring China's Jasmine Revolution?

  22 February 2011

The National News Agency-Central News Agency of Taiwan is suspected to censor related news about China's Jasmine Revolution yesterday. Jou Ying-Cheng, blogger and former reporter of CNA, accused CNA for not syndicating the second and further interview with Tan Lan-Yin(談蘭英)’ son due to political sensitivity, and such news blocking has...

Bahrain: Coming Out in Numbers in Search for Unity

  21 February 2011

A week has passed since protests broke in the capital Manama on February 14, 2011, calling for real democracy in the Kingdom. Seven men have lost their lives, with the latest martyr Abdulredha Mohammed passing away on Monday in Salmaniya Hospital after being shot by military forces on Friday.