Stories about Freedom of Speech from December, 2012
Hungarian Protesters Occupy Bridge, Three Students Arrested
Student protest rallies continue in Hungary. On Wednesday night, the protesters occupied a Budapest bridge, and three of them ended up getting arrested.
Caribbean: What Happened in 2012 (Part 2)
The first part of this post observed that in the Caribbean blogosphere, the year was punctuated by hunger strikes - the first in Cuba and the second in Trinidad and Tobago. Part 2 of the regional blogosphere's 2012 summary recalls other issues that got Caribbean netizens talking - from the Olympics to the need for greater political transparency…
Caribbean: What Happened in 2012 (Part 1)
This year, events in the regional blogosphere were curiously bookended by hunger strikes. Part 1 of this 2012 recap takes a look at the topics that most shaped online discussion in the Bahamian, Cuban and French-speaking Caribbean blogospheres.
China:10 Best Weibo Stories of 2012
The Chinese internet is a fascinating place. Stories break online everyday. Despite the strong censorship, Chinese internet users are able to keep their sense of humor(and the censors at bay) by creating different buzzwords and memes. As the year comes to an end, TeaLeafNation has collected the 10 most funny and...
Independent Turkmen Website Hacked
Chronicles of Turkmenistan (www.chrono-tm.org), the website run by Turkmen human rights activists in exile, has been hacked [ru] for the third time this year and remains down. Catherine Fitzpatrick on Different Stans blog suggests that the “way too important” website was hacked by “Turkmen Secret Police”. She also lists alternative social media where the...
People's Daily: The Internet is Not Outside the Law
On Dec 18, China's state media, People's Daily published a piece titled “The Internet is Not Outside the Law,” which serves as a reminder of government control over internet and social media in China. China Media Project translated the whole piece.
Censorship Lift for “V for Vendetta” Shocks China
V for Vendetta, a film produced in 2005 about a near-future dystopian society, previously censored in China, was aired on China Central Television Station (CCTV) Channel Six on December 14, 2012. The screening has caught many people by surprise.
#FastforBassel Campaign Launched for Syrian Netizen Facing Military Trial
Bassel Khartabil, also known as Bassel Safadi, is on military trial in Syria, where he is denied a lawyer. The open source software engineer and Creative Commons volunteer has been in jail since March. Supporters around the world have just launched a #FastforBassel campaign on Twitter to raise awareness about his case.
Hungarian Blogger Leaks Secret Video on Illegal Voter Database
Gery Greyhound published a documentary [hu] on his Tumblr blog, about the ‘making of’ an illegal voter database in Pécs in 2009, when the city held a mid-term mayoral election. A similar leak took place in 2010, when a voice recording of Fidesz party director Gábor Kubatov was published online, revealing that the party had a registry of...
“Kosovo 2.0 Talks Sex” Launch Party Cancelled Due to Attack
Kosovo 2.0 was planning to launch its new print issue at the "Kosovo 2.0 Talks Sex" event, on Dec. 14. However, shortly before the launch party started, a group of approximately 20 men entered the Pristina venue, destroyed the stage and beat up one of the employees. The event was cancelled. Elena Ignatova reports.
Election Laws Hinder Japan's Political Online Activity
While Japanese citizens enjoy considerable Internet freedom, in times of election, things are little different due to Public Offices Election Act that restricts publication of political messages.
Russian Documentary Filmmakers Abandon YouTube After Police Investigation
On December 12, filmmakers halted the online publication of one of Russia's most curious documentary efforts: "Srok" ("The Term"), a video project hosted on YouTube and LiveJournal, chronicling and capturing the events of the opposition movement. The project's suspension came after federal investigators searched the home of one of its directors.
Sans Permit, Russian Opposition to Converge at Security Headquarters
Their rally at the FSB Headquarters banned, opposition leaders suggest protesters take a "walk" to the center of Moscow. Was their refusal to accept offers of other venues a mistake?
Jackie Chan: “Hong Kong has Become a City of Protest”
Actor and Kung Fu star Jackie Chan triggered outrage in Hong Kong after saying in an interview: “Hong Kong has become a city of protest, we scold China and its leaders, we scold anything we want and protest against everything."
Presenting the Balkan Minorities
Fifteen young journalists from six different countries have produced a series of personal stories about representatives of the minorities (in a broad sense) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, and Macedonia. The stories are available in English, German, and French on the Face the Balkans website.
Students Rally All Over Hungary to Save Tuition-Free Education
In Hungary, the once free-for-all education system has always been a subject of heated debates. This week, the debates have grown into student protests that are taking place all over the country.
Egypt: Graffiti Over Presidential Palace Walls
It seems like the revolutionary spirit is galvanized in Egypt, thanks to President Mohammed Morsy's power grab. Photographer Jonathan Rashad, who has been actively using his camera to document major events since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, shares photographs of graffiti which tell the story
Radio Okapi Interfered with by Authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo
The website journaldekin.com, commenting on the interference on the national Radio Okapi, a station which has been sponsored by the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo since December 1, recalls [fr] that: Radio Okapi, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, is born from a partnership between the Swiss...
Xinhua Is On Twitter
Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream blogs about Chinese netizens’ reaction of the Chinese government official news outlets, Xinhua, being active on Twitter, an social media platform which is blocked in China. As the blogger pointed out: it does seem slightly ironic for a government agency to be using Twitter when...
Russian Web Censorship Got You Down? Fight It With “Counter-Absurdity”!
It has now been more than a month since the blacklist of the Russian Internet went live. One Russian ISP has decided to have its own say in the matter.
Egypt: “Which Article of the Constitution Are You Objecting?”
Recent events in Egypt demonstrate the deepening rift between the ruling Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and an increasing proportion of the population. Rayna St is bringing us up-to-date with the situation on the ground days ahead of a referendum on a controversial constitution.
