Stories about Freedom of Speech from June, 2014
Revolutionary Band Laal's Facebook Page is Now Accessible in Pakistan. Hooray? Not Really.
The unblocking of Laal was a minor battle won in the war over Internet content -- a war we are losing.
Social Media Sites Unblocked in Iraq, But is the Worst Yet to Come?
"Apparently blockage of social media sites were removed now in #Iraq, the fear is that the Gov is getting ready 2 cut the Internet," tweets Mohamed Najem.
Why Some Minorities in France Vote for the Far-Right Political Party Front National
Front National has a hardline position on immigration, but people of non-French origin did vote for the party. Some said they were concerned about the country's declining economy.
Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are Blocked in Iraq
Local media and at least one ISP are reporting that the Ministry of Communications ordered Internet providers to shut down Google and social media sites, fearing security risks.
Thailand's Coup Regime Tries to Woo People With Free World Cup Telecasts and Massages
Free concerts, free food, free medical check-ups, free movies, free haircut, and now free telecast of all World Cup Games. Thailand's coup regime is serious in wooing public support.
Kazakh “Bloggers” Program Gets to the Real News
Kazakhstan's online program Блогеры (bloggers), presented by Angela Garipova does [ru] a good job of covering socially relevant themes that the country's state-directed media doesn't always get to via funky footage and the views of Kazakhstani social media users. This week the program looked at the decision of the regional government of...
Some Clarity on New Russian Blogger Regulations
The Russian agency in charge of regulating the Internet, Roskomnadzor, has released a new document detailing how laws governing blogs will operate when they comes into effect later this summer.
Kyrgyzstan's Anti-Gay Bill Preserves “Historical Values”, Violates Constitution
Kyrgyz lawmakers will soon vote on "mystical" legislation set to make life even more challenging for the country's harassed LGBT community. But don't they have more important things to do?
Sharia Law and Free Speech in Brunei
The Sharia Law has created more difficulties in enhancing free speech and media freedom in Brunei. Dissenting voices were stifled after the Sultan threatened legal action against critics.
Are Bangladesh's “Men In Black” Fighting Crime or Killing for Money
Bangladesh's elite crime-combat force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is under intense scrutiny for alleged cases of abductions, torture and extra judicial killings.
Pakistan's First Online Hate Speech Report Is Out, And It Isn't Pretty
Pakistan's first ever empirical research report on online hate speech is out. Global Voices interviewed Shahzad Ahmad, Director of Bytes For All, the advocacy organization that conducted the study.
Man Arrested for ‘Insulting’ Tajik President on Facebook
Security agencies in Tajikistan have detained a Facebook user on charges of “insulting” the country's president. According to a local news agency, the 30-year-old man was arrested [ru] after posting “slanderous” images and texts on the social networking website.
As Tajik Rap Gets Political, Authorities Resort to Bans and Pressure
Rap often gets much more political than other musical genres in Tajikistan. The authorities respond by banning hip-hop and forcing homegrown rappers to become more "patriotic".
Thailand's Coup Protesters Are Looking to The Hunger Games for Inspiration
Protest ban? No problem for anti-coup protesters in Thailand as they adopted the 'Hunger Games' salute while some conducted 'read-in' activities in public places.
Free Speech Remains Under Threat in Myanmar
Deji Olukotun observes how Myanmar's so-called transition to democracy has not yet made a lasting impact on the state of free expression in the country: …in many ways Myanmar’s relatively open society could close at a moment’s notice. Writers are able to write and to criticize the government not because...
Why Human Rights Advocates are Opposed to East Timor's Draft Media Law
Various human rights groups, journalists, and scholars have signed a letter opposing East Timor's proposed media law which was recently approved by the Parliament. One of the issues they cited is the broad powers given to the Press Council: …we are concerned that the Press Council with legal authority, funding...
Cuban Journalists & Bloggers
One side questioned the silence of the press on issues of interest to the public and the other cast doubt on the convenience of publishings posts with ‘incendiary’ news. Havana Times looks at the divide between journalists and bloggers, making the point that this “runs counter to the fusion that...
