Stories about Freedom of Speech from April, 2006
Singapore politician blog
As election fever heightens in Singapore – speculation is becoming intense that an election date will be announced very soon – opposition political activist and blogger Goh Meng Seng gives a rousing post Time For Battle as he announces blog silence for three weeks.
China: Yahoo! implicates writer
Seen on the Chinese Law Prof Blog today is a post on Reporters Without Borders’ announcement of Yahoo!'s role in the persecution and arrest of yet another Chinese internet essayist, Jiang Lijun: “As in the Shi Tao case, the information was apparently provided by a Hong Kong company subject to...
Manal – The bold and the beautiful Moroccan blogger
Do you remember Jyllandsposten? The newspaper that published cartoons of the prophet (PBUH)? Representatives of the paper refused to meet with the BBC, CNN or the Danish TV, but agreed to meet Manal!! Yes, Manal is a student-doctor who blogs and wants to make a difference. Her blog Manal Carpe...
Belarus: Newspaper Faces Shutdown
Nasha Niva – “the last independent paper” – is about to be shut down, according to br23 blog and TOL's Belarus Blog. “Department of ideology wants to close it down because the editor-in-chief… was in jail for 10 days. That’s the reason they give for wanting to close their offices....
Iran's Nuclear Crisis, Persian Gulf Islands and Funds for Palestine
Permanent members of UN Security Council and Germany have come together to discuss their common action against Iran and the so-called “nuclear crisis” is a very hot issue in the Iranian media and blogs. Jadi (Persian) writes about nuclear energy and why he is against it: “I as a democrat,...
Taiwan: Hu Jintao unwelcome
The Taiwanese blogger from Pingya's Bistro gives her account of Chinese president Hu Jintao's meeting with leader of Taiwan's Kuomintang Lien Chan just prior to the Communist leader's visit to the United States: “Those two people do not represent me, and cannot represent the entire people of Taiwan or of...
China: Blogger's Congressional support
Illegally-detained Beijing or Bust blogger Wu Hao is a legal permanent resident of the United States. Posted today on his sister Nina's website is a letter sent by Wu's Congressman Jim Gerlach to China's ambassador to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong. “I would greatly appreciate if you would inform me...
China: Imprisoned blogger
April 18 is illegally-detained documentarian and Beijing or Bust blogger Wu Hao's birthday and 56th day in prison. An English translation from the blog of Wu's sister Nina gives us an idea of how his disappearance is affecting the family: “Everyone believes he will be out soon, which is why...
China: Unconstitutional arrests
Richard from The Peking Duck writes with a link and a post on two Chinese journalists arrested within the last year who according to Chinese law are being held illegally. “Hao Wu's sister, blogging about her helplessness in the face of her brother's disappearance into the black hole of Chinese...
China: Yahoo! and Google
Asiapundit‘s myrick gives us an update yesterday on detained Chinese blogger Wu Hao's situation: “With the initial burst of reporting and support having failed to secure his release, [Global Voices] has launched a petition to directly appeal to President Hu Jintao,” and today a clarification on any possible mischaracterization of...
Belarus: Last Week's Review
TOL's Belarus Blog writes about the release of opposition politician Mikhail Marynich. Andrei Khrapavitski reports on protesters in Minsk demanding the release of the former presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin. br23 blog links to pictures and posts a report from a flash mob that gathered in Prague to protest awarding “second-rate...
China: Microsoft in collusion
When Chinese president Hu Jintao stops over for dinner at Bill Gates’ house and Microsoft centers research in Beijing, bloggers start to wonder: “Bill Gates, Jerry Yang, Eric Schmidt and the other executives should be challenging repressive regimes,” says Jeff Chester from Digital Destiny, “by refusing to operate in countries...
China: Presidential responsibility
Lisa at The Paper Tiger posts on the lack of progress in imprisoned blogger Hao Wu's case and shifts her gaze towards Chinese president Hu Jintao: “President Hu will be visiting the United States from April 18th through the 21st. Originally the hope was that he would consider releasing Wu...
China: Blog censorship
Chinese blogger Nick Wong discovers yet another blog has been cut down: “From time to time I check out the A Space Neither Big Nor Small blog, but suddenly I can't get to it. I go around the firewall and see there's something about Tank Man. Naturally, 89-6-4 (there's no...
China: Hao Wu continues to be held without charge
It has now been 52 days. Global Voices Northeast Asia editor, blogger, and filmmaker Hao Wu still has not been charged or given access to a lawyer. We still don't know where he is. (For a collection of articles about his situation please click here.) His sister Nina Wu continues...
Bahamas: Cultivating tolerance
Sir Arthur Foulkes assesses tolerance levels in the Bahamas in light of reactions to the docking of a gay cruise ship and the banning of the film “Brokeback Mountain”.
Revolution In Nepal: Monarchy On Its Way Out
The movement has turned into a revolution.
Taiwan: Blog conference
The Taiwan Blogger BoF conference opens this Friday in Taipei. Here's their blog [zh].
Pulse of the Saudi Blogosphere
It had been a relatively quiet week in the Saudi blogosphere this week. However, several good posts can be found by bloggers from inside the country, and also by those who live abroad. So, let's get it started… A new community website for Saudi bloggers has been causing much controversy,...
Nepal: Us and Them
A moving account from a person who reflects on what it is to be like in Nepal at United We Blog! – “I am a charlatan that interviews a hungry Chepang woman, forcing her to speak out wasting whatever little chemical energy food has released in her body, when the...
Nepal: Revolution in pictures
Violence seems to continue without pause in Nepal - as the protest intensifies, even with the curfew being relaxed. Democracy for Nepal has some visuals.
