Stories about Freedom of Speech from August, 2019
UAE frees activist Osama al-Najjar after 5 years in detention
Despite serving his three-year sentence in March 2017, al-Najjar remained in arbitrary detention.
In Ethiopia, disinformation spreads through Facebook live as political tensions rise
Online conspiracy theories, political rants and rumors laced with communal hatred are now common genres in Ethiopian social media.
Tanzanian journalist faces trumped-up charges after abduction and detention
Freelance ournalist Erick Kabendera has written critically of Tanzanian President John Magufuli's increasingly repressive administration. Yesterday, authorities charged him with economic crimes, but critics say his only "crime" is journalism.
Sentencing of Turkish social media influencer sparks debate on free speech
A Turkish Twitter celebrity is being sued for allegedly advocating drug consumption, reigniting the debate about online freedom of expression
Hashtag campaign against Pakistani religious minority group during PM Khan's US visit
An online hate campaign targeting the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan started after an 82-year-old Ahmadiyya Abdul Shakoor shared his community's ordeal in a meeting with US President Trump.
Ugandan feminist Stella Nyanzi deploys nude protest to challenge free speech sentence
Feminist scholar Stella Nyanzi, known for "radical rudeness" as protest, flashed her breasts and shouted obscenities in protest in court after receiving 9 more months in prison for cyber harassment.