Stories about Freedom of Speech from March, 2013
Hackers Publish Turkish Mayor's Phone Number in Tit-for-Tat Cyber Attack
A group of Turkish hackers who call themselves Redhack have published the mayor of Ankara's cell phone number on Twitter in retaliation against him for publicizing the cell phone number of a college student.
Former President of Google China Reveals Censorship Statistics
Kai-Fu Lee, former president of Google China, published a chart on Twitter showing how often his micro-blog was deleted by the Chinese government's censorship arm. Lee regularly blogs about cultural and technology issues in China on Sina Weibo, the most influential micro-blogging platform in the country. The Chinese government regularly censors...
Today's Tibet, Tomorrow's Hong Kong?
An activist network in Hong Kong organized an assembly to express their solidarity with Tibetans on the 54th Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day last Sunday March 10, 2013. Some participants who joined the meeting believed that Hong Kong people should learn from Tibet and avoid the history from recurring in Hong Kong.
Parveen Rehman Killed, Pakistan's Largest Slum Loses its Guardian Angel
Parveen Rehman, a leading social worker in Pakistan was shot dead close to the country's largest slum Orangi, in Karachi were she had worked tirelessly for three decades. A trained architect, Parveen documented land in the ever-growing city to protect it from Karachi's notorious land mafia, who she had been receiving death threats from for years.
China's Smear Campaign Against Apple
A number of celebrities echoed China Central Television program that criticized Apple in the Consumers’ Rights Protection Day. Yet netizens are clever to find out that their accounts are either being hacked of some of them are paid to do so. (From Ministry of Tofu)
Venezuela: Twitter user detained for spreading “destabilizing” information
On March 14, Lourdes Alicia Ortega Pérez was detained by Venezuelan authorities for allegedly having having sent messages on Twitter that were "destabilizing [to] the country."
Banned Music and Missing Voices in Angola
The Angolan National Police have confiscated, amongst other works, DVDs by rapper Brigadeiro 10 Pacotes in an act of censorship against voices that are unsettling the Angolan authorities. A protest was called for in response which ended in police violence and at least one arrest. On the web, citizens remember the activists that disappeared after demonstrations in 2012.
Survey: Sexuality Rights on the Internet
The Association for Progressive Communications is calling on sexuality rights activists to complete a survey describing how internet regulation affects them.
Naming China's Censorship Beast
The Chinese government announced plans to merge two censorship departments, the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) on March 10, 2013. The proposed name of the new agency is extremely long and netizens are putting forward their own innovative names,...
World Day Against Cyber Censorship
March 12 is World Day Against Cyber Censorship. Reporters Without Borders and other advocates for Internet rights are calling on activists, movements and organizations around the world to participate by reminding their constituents of the importance of protecting free expression online.
Indian Censor Board Restricts Papilio Buddha, A Gandhi Critic Movie
Papilio Buddha, a Malaylam language feature film, had initially been banned by the Indian censor board for defaming the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi until it got cleared for screening with the “adult” certification. Netizens question the decision of the censor board and the underlying reason.
Iran: Foreign VPNs Blocked
Several blogs and news sites reported that Iranian authorities have blocked many foreign-based virtual private networks, or VPNs, severely restricting access to many websites.
TV Journalist Attacked In Maldives
Ibrahim ‘Aswad’ Waheed, Head of News of Raaje TV, an independent television channel, was attacked by unidentified persons recently in the Maldivian capital Male. Maldivian journalists joined in protests demanding press freedom and protection of journalists which can be seen in pictures at photo-blogger Bug's blog.
The Right to be Forgotten: Spain and Google Before the European Court
On 26 February, Google and Spain appeared before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the redaction of certain pages yielded in search results that contain the personal information of Spanish citizens. The ECJ, which will weigh the public's right to information against the right to be forgotten will issue its non-binding ruling on 25 June 2013.
The State of Torture in the World in 2013
On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]: “A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to...
How India Should Approach Website Blocking
In recent months blocking of urls has been much debated in India. Nikhil Pahwa at MediaNama, who is not fond of blocking content on the Internet, suggests how India should approach website blocking.
Taiwan Denies Entry to Anti-Nuke Visitor Ahead of Protest
A German man who marched in an anti-nuclear protest two years ago in Taiwan was detained at Taiwan's international airport and denied entry [zh] into the country on March 8, 2013, a day before protesters planned to hold a large-scale anti-nuclear demonstration there.
Hissene Habre Victims’ Long Road to Justice
Jacqueline Moudeina writes on Pambazuka.org about the inauguration of a special tribunal in Senegal, to bring Hissene Habre, former dictator of Chad, before the courts [fr]: “Being a victim, is a condition in which we languish without the ability to recover, as long as justice has not been served. The...
Benin Journalist Gets Three Months in Prison
Jolome News notes that the International Federation of Journalists has denounced the sentencing of Ms. Berthe Cakpossa to three months in prison and a fine of 500.000 francs CFA (the equivalent of $1,000 US) for insulting Boni Yayi, the Head of State. Ms. Cakpossa is the director of a private...
Hungarian Constitution is “Not a Toy”
According to a report [hu] on Facebook page “The Constitution is Not a Toy,” some 100 protesters have occupied the Hungarian governing party's headquarters; a pro-government crowd, however, has also showed up at the scene. The protesters voiced their opposition to the planned new amendment of the Hungarian constitution, a...