Stories about Freedom of Speech from July, 2015
BAKE, an Organization That's Helping Kenya's Blogging Community Grow
The association has trained over 1,500 people on blogging, social media and online community management. One day, they hope to "help set up blogging associations in all the African countries."
Bahraini Political Leader Ibrahim Sharif Arrested Again
Bahraini political leader and Secretary General of National Democratic Action Society (WAAD) Ibrahim Sharif is arrested three weeks after his release for "inciting hatred against the regime."
Russian Social Networks Start Courting Russian Users Sick of Censorship on Facebook
Following several scandals in Russia and Ukraine, where Facebook has censored dozens of popular bloggers, Russia is now witnessing an effort to recruit people back to homegrown social networks.
Serbian Authorities Take Control of A Man's Facebook Account Following Alleged Threats Against PM Vucic
Police in Serbia seemed to have overstepped boundaries in search and seizure proceedings, taking over a personal Facebook account without a court order.
Mexico Was Hacking Team's No. 1 Client for Spyware
At least 14 Mexican states and government agencies had contracts with Hacking Team, the Italy-based spyware company. But only some of them have constitutional authority to monitor citizen communications.
ISIS Hacks Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Website and Threatens its Director
The ISIS cyber army has allegedly hacked the website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog on July 8, 2015, and threatened its Syrian director, Rami Abdelrahman, for his role in documenting human rights abuses committed by all parties in the ongoing war in Syria. The news was confirmed...
Moscow Street Musicians Tape Their Mouths Shut to Protest Police Pressure
Moscow street musicians are protesting what they say are illegal police detentions and exorbitant fines that violate their artistic rights and freedoms.
Five Ethiopian Journalists Freed From Prison, But Others Remain Behind Bars
Alongside an outpouring of joy and disbelief over the bloggers' release, supporters urged each other to keep "tantrummin" until there are no more journalists jailed in Ethiopia.
More Than 100 People Have Been Killed Extrajudicially This Year in Bangladesh
"We do not know what was done with my father. We do not know whether he is alive or dead. There is no progress in the case."
Edom Kassaye: An Ethiopian Journalist Jailed for Her Integrity
"I believe it was Edom’s willingness to bring about change in Ethiopia’s polarized political environment that suggested an affinity between her and the Zone9 blogging collective. We shared common principles."
Fines for Violating Russia’s ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Might Not Be So Stiff, After All
Lawmakers suggest that fines will likely be levied only after a search engine refuses to comply with a court order to delete links under the “right to be forgotten” protocol.
#FreeThe14 Campaign Calls on Thailand to Release Jailed Anti-Junta Protesters
"They might imprison us but they will never imprison our wills and ideas. We will make them know that ideas are bullet proof."
Steven Salaita Lands Job at American University of Beirut, Talks Black Politics and Palestine Solidarity
After being denied tenure at the University of Illinois for pro-Palestine tweets, Salaita will be the Edward W. Said Chair of American Studies at the American University of Beirut.
Timeline: 14 Activists Detained in Thailand for Protesting Against Junta
The arrest and detention of 14 anti-Junta activists in Thailand has sparked outrage across the country. It also inspired many academics to call for the immediate release of the activists.
Here's How Russia's New ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Compares to Europe's
RuNet Echo looks at new Russian legislation that would introduce a "right to be forgotten" online, comparing it to the landmark European Court decision last year.
Nigerians Are Shocked by the ‘Kano Nine’ Death Sentence for Blasphemy
"No one can defend God to pass death sentence on others, I'm a Muslim and in totality I condemn it. #SaveKanoNine"