Stories about Freedom of Speech from July, 2011
Brazil: “A Serbian Film” Banned from RioFan Festival
The controversial long feature “A Serbian Film” was banned [pt] from the RioFan film festival by its main sponsor, the Brazilian national bank Caixa Econômica Federal, as announced [pt] on the website of the organization. Brazilian citizens organized a protest against censorship. A video [pt] gathers several analyses of the...
Saudi Arabia Blocks Amnesty International's Website
Saudi Arabia has blocked access to the website of the human rights organisation Amnesty International following their leak of a draft for a new Saudi anti-terrorism law that would introduce harsher penalties for political dissent or critique of the royal family.
Argentina: What Irritates Argentinians?
Argentinians and Twitter: a means to express what irritates them. On July 22, the hashtag #irritante (#irritating) became a local trending topic with protests and irritations about politics, traffic, neighbors and even family and social networks.
Saudi Arabia: New Anti-Terror Law Crushes Protests
Amnesty International's leaked draft of the new Saudi anti-terror law has prompted a strong reaction to the proposed legislation. Twitter users are using the hashtag #SaudiTerrorLaw to voice their opinions.
Sri Lanka: Anti-Government Websites Will Be Blocked
Freedom Of Expression In Sri Lanka reports that a special operations unit has been set up in Sri Lanka with the aim of controlling and banning anti-government websites.
Cuba: “The Lion of the East” Passes On
Cuban bloggers mourn the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Pedro Meurice Estiu, who died in Miami at the age of 79. Uncommon Sense calls him “a Cuban patriot and a true man of God”, while Babalu remembers him as “a fierce and unrelenting critic of the Castro dictatorship”; Generation Y honours...
Ecuador: President Correa Wins Libel Case
Jim Wyss, in Inside South America, explains the latest developments in a libel case involving President Rafael Correa and newspaper El Univero. Monica Medel also reports on the case at the Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas blog: “Ecuador sentences newspaper directors to jail and millions in fines in president's...
Azerbaijan: Release Jabbar Savalan Campaign
Amnesty International has launched an online campaign calling for the release of Jabbar Savalan, a young activist in Azerbaijan who made calls on Facebook for pro-democracy protests in the oil-rich former Soviet republic. Those wishing to join the campaign can sign an online petition here.
Cuba: Activists Under Pressure
Cuban bloggers report on several arrests and attempts at intimidating independent journalists and activists, here, here and here.
Malaysia: The Economist print edition censored
uppercaise reports that the latest print edition of The Economist was censored by Malaysian authorities. The government said it only ‘blackened’ the ‘false and misleading’ parts of the story on the Bersih protest.
Brazil: Blogger Censored and Sued by Businessman
Journalist Paulo Cezar Prado's Blog do Paulinho [pt] has been blocked by the Brazilian Justice, reports the Blue Bus [pt]. Businessman Franck Henouda's lawyer has sued the blogger who had also criticized other public figures related with sports: Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the CBF and Andres Sanchez the president...
Tajikistan: The BBC reporter released
The Tajikistan authorities have released BBC journalist Urunboy Usmonov from custody. “The international community’s appeal have been heard”, writes Tomyris.
Cuba: Defending “Las Damas”
Cuban bloggers continue to update their posts about the most recent attack on Las Damas de Blanco, in which members of the group were reportedly “attacked and brutally beaten…by agents of Castro State Security upon exiting a church sanctuary.”
Malawi: Arab Spring Spreading South of the Sahara?
It's winter in Africa, south of the Equator, but the temperature in Malawi feels more like Spring - particularly that of the recent Arab pedigree. The Malawian air is rife with tension and anxiety over what is expected to be a clash between civil society and the Malawi government on Wednesday July 20.
Turkey: Protest Against Kurdish Singer Prompts Strong Social Media Response
Aynur Doğan, a Kurdish-Turkish singer, was jeered by part of the audience during an open air concert in the Istanbul Jazz Festival because she sang a song in Kurdish. Part of the audience sang the Turkish National Anthem in protest, while others in the audience supported the singer.
Serbia: Disgruntled Community Vs. Disgruntled Politician on Twitter
Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vuk Jeremić, has instigated a social media situation that may seriously damage relations that local citizen media and some politicians have been building. The reaction from netizens has been one of outrage.
China: Campaigning for the Release of Female Activist Wang Lihong
The Chinese government has been arresting human right activists and political dissidents under the pretext of the Jasmine crack down. Many of the detainees have been released, but female activist, Wang Lihong, has been detained for 117 days with the court finally deciding to prosecute her last week. Netizens are rallying support.
Cuba: Female Activists Reportedly Beaten/Detained
Reports of harassment of the Ladies in White and other female activists, here and here.
Iran: Plight of seven detained netizens
Exactly one year after seven young netizens were arrested in a series of raids by intelligence ministry agents, Reporters Without Borders is reiterating the call for their release.
Indonesia: Minister Revives Plan to Control Social Media
Indonesia's IT and Communications Minister has said that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook must be strictly controlled since they can be used to destabilize the government. His statement generated a lot of reactions, especially from netizens.
Tunisia: Police Brutally Disperse Peaceful Protesters
Tunisian police brutally dispersed protesters outside the headquarters of the Cabinet yesterday (July 15). The protesters were calling for reform and were planning to launch a third sit-in at Kasbah square, which is the epicenter of protests in the Tunisian capital Tunis.
