Stories about Freedom of Speech from October, 2011
Honduras: Blogger's Facebook Account is Shut Down
‘La Gringa’, from La Gringa's Blogcito, says her Facebook account was disabled because someone filed a complaint about her username (‘La Gringa’, her internet pseudonym) after she published a series...
Colombia: Workers and Students Take to the Streets in Protest
Public sector workers and university students have hit the streets of Colombia to express their dissatisfaction. Cati Restrepo explores some of their concerns.
Cuba: Recounting Repression
Pedazos de La Isla posts two accounts of Cuban dissidents being beaten and detained, allegedly “just for trying to travel within their own country” and “for demonstrating peacefully”.
Russia: Government to Launch Content Monitoring in December 2011
Roskomnadzor, Russian telecommunications control body, will launch content monitoring system in December 2011, Kommersant.ru reports [ru]. The system ordered in March, 2011 (see GV analysis here) is now in pre-release condition. Its...
Egypt: Man Jailed for Three Years for Insulting Islam on Facebook
Egyptian Ayman Youssef Mansur has been sentenced for three years with hard labour in Egypt for “insulting Islam” on Facebook, reports Brian Whitaker in Al Bab.
Moldova, Russia: Controversial Russian Blogger Escapes Prosecution in Moldova
Russian blogger Eduard Bagirov was detained in Chisinau, Moldova, this June and charged with organizing the April 2009 post-election riots there. He was released and placed under house arrest but soon escaped to Russia. While some Russian bloggers question Bagirov's motives and integrity, many seem to trust him.
Bangladesh: Occupy Dhaka, Joining the Movement Against the 1%
Occupy Wall Street and We Are 99%, the peaceful protests that started last month in New York City's financial capital have already spread in many countries of the world. Hundreds of Bangladeshis have joined in protests titled "Occupy Dhaka" in solidarity with the campaigns.
Hungary: Oct. 23 Opposition Rally
Hungarian Spectrum and The Contrarian Hungarian write about the Oct. 23 anti-government rally, organized through a Facebook community called Egymillióan a magyar sajtószabadságért [hu; 88,272 ‘likes’]/One Million for the Freedom...
Cuba: One Week After Pollan's Death
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter examines the new reality of the Ladies in White one week after Laura Pollan's death.
Cuba: More Tributes to Pollan
More tributes to the late Laura Pollan, here, here, here and here.
Cuba: Upcoming Census
Cuba will soon be having a new population census, but Generation Y wonders whether those who will be asking the questions are “census takers — or censors”, saying: “Tearing down...
Chile: Transsexuals Demand a Place in Postponed Anti-Discrimination Law
An anti-discrimination law is up for vote in Chile. It would ban any prejudice based on race, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and more. Although it offers new protection to often-marginalized groups, transsexuals didn’t make the cut. Now, they're demanding inclusion.
Russia: 7 Temporarily Detained During the President's Meeting with Journalism Students
7 journalism students (among others @kichanova, @rise_rebel and @ave_katerina) were detained during the meeting of the president Medvedev at the Journalism department of the Moscow State University,Vitaliy Shushkevich tweets [ru] (also see...
Saudi Arabia: Men Arrested Over Poverty Video
Two Saudi men were arrested last Sunday October 16th in what seems to be a reaction to a video posted on their YouTube channel showing poverty in Riyadh. Through microblogging...
Cuba: Journalist Held While Trying to Pay Respects to Pollan
Uncommon Sense reports that “the Cuban independent journalist and blogger Dania Virgen Garcia Garcia was beaten and arrested…while trying to attend a gathering at the home of the late Laura...
Cuba: Remembering Laura Pollan
Four days after her death, the online tributes are still pouring in for Laura Pollan, the late leader of one of Cuba's most recognized and respected opposition groups, Las Damas de Blanco. Many bloggers want to continue their fight for human rights while others just want to remember their friend and hero.
Russia: Newspaper Leaks Plans to Discredit Anti-Corruption Blogger
“United Russia” had ordered a massive plan (worth of ~320,000 US dollars) to discredit anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny, Novaya Gazeta writes [ru]. The campaign might include compromising footage with Navalny's...
Brazil: #OccupySaoPaulo Sets Up Camp
A group of Brazilian activists who have set up camp in downtown São Paulo since October 15 protests are now facing the possibility of police repression, says [pt] blogger Conceição...
Poetry Slam Activism in Francophone Africa
Poetry slam is a well-known channel of expression for many activists in North America but the rest of the world has now embraced this unique blend of poetry and rhythmic oral story telling. Here are some examples from Francophone Africa and the context in which they arose.
Cuba: Mourning the Loss of Laura Pollan
Cuban bloggers are in mourning over the death of Laura Pollan, the former leader of the opposition group Las Damas de Blanco. The sad news made its way across the blogosphere with lightning speed and bloggers, both within Cuba and throughout the diaspora, were soon posting their remembrances of the late human rights activist online.
Portugal: Photos and Videos of October 15 Protests
The October 15 protests in Portugal, calling for “participatory democracy, transparency in policy and the end of the precariousness of life”, gathered around 80,000 in the main squares of the country. Citizen reporters used online platforms to share photo and video reports of events.
