Stories about Freedom of Speech from May, 2012
Italy: Army Evicts Art Workers from Occupied Building
The art worker's collective Macao in Milan, Italy were evicted from the second building they occupied in less than a month by army and police. The group aims to free more public space for the arts and highlight their precarious work conditions.
Cuba: “Mob” Attack Linked to Heart Attack?
Further to this, babalu reports that another elderly lady “suffered a fatal heart attack after her home was violently attacked by a paramilitary mob.”
South Korea: Movie Review on the President's Barber
Storify user @Jaemin posted a review on the President's Barber, a movie which well depicted how ordinary people's lives suffered under a dictatorial military regime back in the 1970s and 80s in South Korea.
Cuba: Diaspora Bloggers Blame “Aggressive Acts” in Grandmother's Death
Two Cuban diaspora blogs are talking about the death of a senior citizen that took place in the region of Santa Clara this past weekend. Despite the fact that the woman was in her nineties, bloggers are speculating that the elderly woman's fatal stroke may have been brought on by “violent acts of repudiation”.
South Africa: The Spear, Freedom of Speech and Morality
A painting by Cape Town-based artist Brett Murray depicting President Jacob Zuma's genitals has ignited online debate about morality and freedom of speech in South Africa. The painting tilted “The Spear” is part of Hail to the Thief II exhibition in Johannesburg.
Azerbaijan: Is Eurovision A Rare Opportunity For Change?
With increased media attention on the country during this week's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, former prisoner of conscience Emin Milli argues that the international music competition offers a rare opportunity to raise concerns with human rights abuses and the lack of democratic freedoms in the oil-rich former Soviet...
Africa: Regimes Under Attack From Satire and Cartoons
The use of satirical language and cartoons in the media is relatively new in most African countries. Abdoulaye Bah explores the history behind these comic tools.
Armenia: Nationalists Disrupt Cultural Diversity March
As was the case in 2009 during a rally to mark International Women's Day, nationalists in Armenia infiltrated and disrupted a march in Yerevan on 21 May to commemorate World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
Germany: #Blockupy Protests Against Pan-European Austerity
'Blockupy' protests against the austerity measures being implemented in the Eurozone shook the financial epicenter of Europe - Frankfurt - last week. Online social networks buzzed with citizen reports on the mobilizations that occurred under massive police presence and repression.
South Korea: Police Question Influential Podcasters for Campaign Violations
One of South Korea's most influential podcasters was summoned for questioning last week over alleged illegal campaign activities, igniting heated debates and discussions online.
Pakistan: Twitter Goes Through Weekend of Censorship
On Sunday 20 May, Twitter users in Pakistan suffered a total blanket censorship across all ISPs in Pakistan on order of the Pakistan Telcommunucation Authority who cited the reason as censoring blasphemous contents. However, the netizens think that the authorities were testing their url filtering service.
Macedonia: Graffiti Art in “Times of Revived Antiquity”
A short documentary on the Macedonian graffiti scene within the context of the state-sponsored art/construction boom, made by two female scientists and bloggers, has been shown at the renowned archeological conference Buffalo TAG 2012. Filip Stojanovski reports.
Russia: The RuNet's Enduring Tomatoes & Tusovki
To a casual observer, the RuNet and the Russian protest movement seem current and contemporary. It is easy to forget, however, that the core of the RuNet and the protests it's inspired has now existed for almost a decade. Burning questions asked seven years ago about the true nature of major figures are still prominent today, such as questions about a certain Andrei Morozov.
Cuba: Questioning Digital Expression within the Revolution
The recent Encuentro de Blogueros Cubanos en Revolución [Meeting of Cuban Bloggers in Revolution] brought together a group of “official” bloggers—chiefly journalists and communications professionals who are employed by the state and maintain their blogs as part of their work. Since the meeting, bitter controversy has unfolded around this new iteration of a decades-old question: does the expression of criticism automatically put one “outside” the revolution, especially when the criticism is happening online?
Armenia: State Sponsored Fascism
Following support from government officials and representatives of the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashanktsutyun (ARF-D) for two Neo-Nazis accused of firebombing a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan, Unzipped: Gay Armenia asks if the country is moving towards a form of state sponsored fascism that threatens the rights and well-being of its own...
Myanmar: Two Citizen Media Sites Launched
Two citizen media sites, Won Thar Nu and Myanmar Netizens were recently launched in Myanmar to provide global readers with news events, citizen media information, and other stories from Myanmar.
Armenia: Blogger Calls for Resignation of Homophobic Dashnak MP
Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on the continuing controversy surrounding Artsvik Minasyan, an MP from the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation–Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D). The blog says that in addition to bailing out a Neo-Nazi arsonist in police custody, Minasyan continues to make homophobic statements in the media following the 8 May firebombing of...
Armenia: Homophobic Firebombing Controversy Continues as Officials, MPs Promote Hate Crime
Controversy continues to surround the firebombing of a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, as officials and politicians praise the arsonists. Online, however, many are instead speaking out against those nationalists doing so.
Georgia: No Sex and the City
No Sex and the City — Georgian Liberal (an oxymoron) blog comments on the physical confrontation between priests accompanying religious parents and LGBT activists marching in Tbilisi, Georgia. The blog details events as they happened, including the alleged inaction of the Georgian police when they were asked to intervene to...
Georgia: LGBT Activists Attacked by Orthodox Religious Group
Marching to mark the 17 May International Day Against Homophobia, LGBT activists were blocked and assaulted by a group of Orthodox Christians in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. Mirian Jugheli reports.
Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko's Plight and Euro 2012
There must be some corners on the web where football fans are still having apolitical discussions of Euro 2012, scheduled to take place in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1. For the past few weeks, however, the upcoming sporting event has featured prominently in arguments and discussions among those who seem more interested in the Ukrainian and European politics than sports.