Stories about Freedom of Speech from January, 2023
Rights organization OVD-Info gives an overview of repression in Russia in 2022
In 2022 in Russia, there were more than 21,000 arrests and at least 370 defendants in criminal cases for anti-war statements and speeches. More than 200,000 Internet resources have been blocked including 11 sentences in cases of state treason.
Bolsonaro kept religious element in public appearances, amidst protests and the end of this term
The 2022 Brazilian presidential campaign was marked by the use of churches and religious leaders as political weapons. As Bolsonaro's government reached its end, the outgoing president seemed to hold on to it.
Saudi Arabia: Government agents infiltrate Wikipedia, sentence independent admins to prison
The Saudi government infiltrated Wikipedia by recruiting the organization’s highest-ranking administrators in the country to control information about the country and prosecute those who contributed critical information about political detainees.
How Zimbabwe is building a Big Brother surveillance state
Citizens' belief that the infringement of human and digital rights does not concern them has created fertile ground for the emergence of pervasive surveillance in Zimbabwe.
Kosovo: Six attacks against journalists in December following escalating tensions
The Kosovo media sphere is endangered by the recent physical assaults and their implications for press freedom and reporting on developments in the northern part of the country
The film ‘Burning Days’ is a grim reflection of Turkey's current political situation
Since then the film has collected a number of awards at various film festivals internationally and won stellar reviews but at home, its been subject to criticism.
Popular Russian singer answers ‘Glory to Ukraine’. Now they want to revoke his citizenship
Singer Valerii Meladze has been openly against the war since February 2022. Now he may face harsh consequences for the words he said off-the-record in Dubai in support of Ukraine.
Filipino activists decry Facebook’s ‘automated censorship’
The removal of posts “exposes how the so-called community standards of Facebook are arbitrarily invoked to silence activists and revolutionaries.”
China falls into a chaos amid a Tsunami-scale winter COVID-19 outbreak
Many countries have announced new travel restrictions on travellers from greater Chinese regions due to inadequate sharing of epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data.