Stories about Freedom of Speech from April, 2012
Cuba: The “Gap” within the Cuban Exile Community
Penúltimos Días author Ernesto Hernández Busto, who lives in Barcelona, describes the “gap” or divide between Cubans living off the island, when it comes to their desires for Cuba's future; Regina Coyula, a blogger who resides in Cuba, responds. Hernández writes that there is a “deep gap between Cubans with...
Cuba: Omni Zona Franca in New Orleans
El Yuma writes about the visit of Cuban experimental art group Omni Zona Franca to New Orleans. Omni is on tour in the US this spring, performing various works, and showing a documentary about their work. They describe the documentary as follows: “Their lives are marked by the actual performance...
France: #RadioLondres, Election Day Fun and Dissidence on Twitter
After a gloomy presidential election campaign, French voters are finally having fun on voting day, with hashtag #RadioLondres, to oppose the ban on publication of early results.
Bahrain: One-Woman Demo!
We have become accustomed to seeing million-man protests in Arab countries, but how about a one-woman protest?
Armenia: Human Rights Organizations Concerned by Film Festival Obstruction
After threats, intimidation and incitement to violence led to the cancellation of a film festival to be held in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri, nationalists have attacked a human rights organization for the same, prompting concerns about freedom of expression.
This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere
In last week's summary of the regional blogosphere, a young comtemporary artist from Barbados made the observation that the region is “more than the beach and coconuts.” Here's a round-up of what Caribbean netizens were talking about this week, with not one mention of beaches or coconuts...
Cuba: New Video Series “Just Another Cuban”
Penultimos Días alerts readers to a series of videos, “Un Cubano Más,” produced and posted on YouTube by Eliécer Avila, the University of Information Sciences student who famously questioned former president of Cuba's National Assembly Ricardo Alarcón about why Internet access is heavily restricted in Cuba.
Cuba: What Did Pope Benedict XVI Leave Behind?
Two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI left the island, Cuba returns to normalcy. Elaine Diaz offers a review of the different conversations and debates after the Pope's visit that have appeared on Cuban digital blogs and social media.
Macedonia: Lead Smelting Company Sues Environmental Activist
Greenbox blog reports [mk] that Toni Dimitrievski, director of Мetrudhem, the corporation that intends to restart the lead smelting factory in the city of Veles, has filed a lawsuit against environmental activist Igor Smilev for “endangering security,” “unauthorized recording,” “slander” and “insult,” requesting EUR 20,000 in damages. So far, only...
Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths
A selection of Global Voices' most recent and interesting stories like the Syrian protests in Middle East and North Africa, China and India's female gendercide phenomenon in South Asia and East Asia and viral video campaigns with Children in Mexico and the massive dolphin die-off in Peru for Latin America.
Mozambique: Police Detain Blogger During Mayoral By-Election
Mozambican human rights lawyer and blogger Custodio Duma was detained by the police during mayoral by-election in Inhambane, on April 18, allegedly due to taking photos. Five hours later, he was released. According [pt] to @Verdade newspaper, 53 citizens (mostly supporters of the opposition party, MDM) were arrested during the scrutiny....
India: Professor Arrested for Forwarding “Defamatory” Cartoon in West Bengal
The week had seen a lot of backlash and protests on the Indian social media scene against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the tyrannical attempts to gag any criticism against her or her governance.
Colombia: Closing of Community Radio Station Sparks Debate
Community radio station Café Líbano, from Líbano [es] in the Tolima department, denounces its closing by the government, pointing out that it was carried out arbitrarily. According to Cesáreo Gálvez, one of its founders, the closing is “an affront to the right to information and communication embodied in community radio.”...
Russia: Writer Yuri Dombrovsky's Biography
The Faculty Of Useless Knowledge writes about Yuri Dombrovsky, “one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.”
Cuba: Diaspora Blogs About Dissidents
The plight of prisoners of conscience is a front-burner issue with Cuban diaspora bloggers. This week, they are talking about two in particular: Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, a former member of the Black Spring “Group of 75″ and Andres Carrion Alvarez, the man who was detained after shouting, “Down with Communism!” prior to the start of a mass during Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit to the island.
Ethiopia: PEN Awards Top Prize to Jailed Journalist and Blogger
Ethiopia journalist and dissident blogger is the recipient of 2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award: “Nega, a leading advocate for press freedom and freedom of expression in Ethiopia, was arrested on September 14, 2011, and is currently being tried under the country's sweeping anti-terror legislation…. He could face the...
India: Administration Backlash over a Political Cartoon and it's Aftermath
The recent arrest of an university professor in West Bengal, India, over a humorous political cartoon has been met by stiff resistance and protest both online and offline. On his blog Pabitraspeaks, blogger Pabitra Mukhopadhyay discusses how the incident is another in a slew of recent incidents that have negatively...
Armenia: The mob rules
Unzipped again comments on last week's cancelled festival of Azerbaijani films in Armenia's second largest city of Gyumri. The blog concludes that the campaign and demonstration against local peace activist Georgi Vanyan illustrated that the ‘mob rules’ and “state structures in Armenia failed to protect constitutional rights and freedom of...
Guinea-Bissau: Military Attack Citizens in Demonstration
According to Simão Mendes National Hospital [pt], the military attacked citizens in a demonstration this morning, April 15, in front of the National Parliament of Guinea-Bissau. On Facebook they have posted a picture of a stabbed patient who arrived at the hospital, “before they [the military] come and take our...
Cuba: Uproar Over Ozzie Guillen's “Love” for Fidel Castro
Across digital and mainstream media, in the United States and Cuba, Miami Marlins baseball team manager Ozzie Guillén's comments on Fidel Castro unleashed a searing debate between baseball fans, political junkies, Cuban-American Miamians, and Cubans themselves.
Azerbaijan: Emin Milli speaks at Amnesty International conference
Emin Milli, one of the two ‘donkey bloggers’ detained in July 2009 and later conditionally released in November 2010, posts the transcript of his speech delivered yesterday at Amnesty International UK's National Conference.
