Stories about Freedom of Speech from December, 2011
Czech Republic: A Tribute to Václav Havel
A tribute to Václav Havel, by Luboš Motl of The Reference Frame: “[…] Havel has been an unusually strong moral autority that has influenced even people such as me who ultimately found out that they disagree with him about many pretty fundamental things. He's been proposed for a peace Nobel...
Egypt: Free Maikel Nabil Sanad – A Prisoner of Conscience
When Egyptians took to the streets at the start of their revolution last January, their chant “The People and the Army are One Hand!” was heard around the world. Today, after the army turned its guns on citizens, netizens are remembering the words of one blogger who had warned that the army and the people were never one hand. This is the story of Maikel Nabil Sanad.
Brazil: Blogger Murdered in the State of Rio Grande do Norte
Tiago Aguiar denounces the assassination of the blogger Edinaldo Filgueira, from the small town of Serra do Mel, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Edinaldo, who believed in “information as a form liberation of humanity”, was allegedly murdered due to a survey on public education he posted...
Kuwait: Stateless Protesters Attacked for Demanding Rights
Arrests, beatings and harassment face protesters championing for the rights of 100,000 stateless in Kuwait, struggling to have the rights to documents, education, health care, employment, and most importantly naturalization. Mona Kareem takes a look at protests over the past few days in Kuwait and the police crackdown that followed.
China: Censorship and Kim Jong-il's death
Southeast conversation looks into the discussion about the death of Kim Jong-il and makes some observation on how portal websites censor the news and netizens’ comments.
Russia: Alexey Navalny Released From Jail
“Everyone's waiting for Navalny ) 5 more minutes! pic.twitter.com/3BRHiuGa,” tweeted [ru] @varlamov a short while ago, posting a picture of the crowd waiting outside a Moscow prison for activist Alexey Navalny‘s release. @plushev tweeted [ru]: “Absolutely fantastic numbers. In the middle of the night, some 5,000 people are viewing [the...
Malawi: Actor's Arrest Reminiscent of Past Dictatorship's Censorship Laws
Malawi police on Sunday afternoon December 18, stormed a stage on which a play was being performed, arrested the main actor mid-sentence and led him away into a waiting police van. Steve Sharra reports.
Nepal: Challenges For Citizen Media
Bhumika Ghimire discusses about the challenges citizen media platforms are facing in Nepal.
Mozambique: The Irrepressible Facebook Blogger
Mozambique is a country with a few superbloggers and little else to report in terms of consistent expression on the open internet, but with dramatic growth of Facebook (via mobile) one brave personality has risen to the fore in this walled, blue and white world. With his frontal political comment and criticism "Apóstolo da Desgraça" has become a reference, and received threats.
Syria: Blogger Razan Ghazzawi is FREE!
Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi was released tonight, after spending 15 days in a Syrian prison. Ghazzawi, who blogs under her real name from Syria, was arrested at the Syrian-Jordanian border, while on her way to attend a press freedom workshop in Amman. Her arrest was criticised by netizens around the world.
Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the 2012 Presidential Election
Incarcerated since 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky is once again in Russia's political spotlight as presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov vows to pardon him if he's elected next spring. Donna Welles reports.
Sidi Bouzid's Anniversary: Celebrating One Year of Arab Awakening
If you had to describe this year in one word what would it be? Leila Nachwati, who was in Tunisia two months ago to attend the Third Arab Bloggers Meeting, shares her experience in Free Tunisia and polls netizens' opinions on what word best describes the year that was since Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against tyranny a year ago.
Cuba: The Living Dead
Generation Y sees parallels between the film “Juan of the Dead” and life in Cuba: “More than gazing on a story of beings taken from our worst nightmares, the public wants to decipher the second reading contained in the film…such that, between laughter and shrieks, the metaphor crumbles, it is...
Iran: Unpaid Worker Throws Shoe at President Ahmadinejad
Several Iranian bloggers reacted with irony to the news that Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, Iran's president, became a target of an angry shoe thrower, during a speech in the northern city, Sari on December 12, 2011.
Morocco: Singer's Performance in Tel Aviv Ignites Debate on Israel's Cultural Boycott
Moroccan netizens are divided as to whether to support a call for a boycott of a Moroccan singer who performed in Tel Aviv despite calls for her to cancel the performance in Israel.
Live Stream of North Korean State TV is Down
The North Korea Tech blog reports the live stream of KCTV, North Korea's state television, has halted due to heavy web traffic.The blogger adds that his last week’s report on the live streaming service has brought the issue to the attention of the media.
China: Actor Christian Bale Roughed Up Trying to Visit Chen Guangcheng
Hollywood actor Christian Bale made a detour from promotion in Beijing of his upcoming film to try and visit illegally detained Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng, hoping to shake the hand of a man he calls an inspiration.
Cuba: In Defense of Human Rights
Pedazos de La Isla highlights the testimony of one of the Ladies in White who relates her experience as a victim of the “vigilance operations, brutal beatings, arbitrary arrests, deportations, and other forms of violence against those who publicly demonstrated on the streets of the island in defense of human...
Brazil: Blogger Found Dead, Hanged: Suicide or Assassination?
Brazilian blogger Altamiro Borges announces [pt] on his blog, the death of blogger Hamilton Alexander, the “Mosquito”, found dead, hanged, at his home. He adds that friends and family are not convinced of this version, because the blogger was famous for attacking politicians in his state, Santa Catarina, south of...
Iran: Jailed blogger on hunger strike
Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, jailed blogger, is on hunger strike [fa] over his jail's conditions. Hossein is serving a 15 year prison sentence in the security ward of Evin Prison.
Cuba: Defining “Vulgarity”
Without Evasion continues to share her thoughts about the outcry over the “vulgarity” of a popular reggaeton song, saying: “The confusion lies, then, in properly ascertaining the limits of vulgarity and limiting at the same time in what spheres of social life vulgarity will be allowed without it constituting a...
