Stories about Freedom of Speech from October, 2007
China: Blogger Reactions to Youtube Block
Kenneth Tan from Shanghaiist has put together bloggers’ reactions to the blocking of youtube in China.
Barbados: New TV Licenses?
Election season promises in Barbados have included talk of new TV stations – Notes From The Margin suspects “the politicians may well find that by the time they are ready to grant a TV license, no one may want one any more.”
Russia: Internet Users
“Growth in the number of Russians going online has slowed overall this year and may even have been reversed in some places,” Window on Eurasia reports.
China: Youtube Blocked
Several sources seem to confirm that youtube has been blocked in China. Ken Wong noticed that the blocking happened soon (one day) after youtube launched its traditional Chinese version (zh). Transpacifica has also confirmed the blocking of youtube.
Tunisia: Blogger's books confiscated at customs
When Tunisian blogger Zizou from Djerba returned home to Tunis from Cairo last week, he received more than the welcome he bargained for.
Serbia: Antifa vs Neo-Nazi in Novi Sad
Belgrade 2.0 has been covering the Oct. 7 “neonazi, clerofascist rally” and the “citizens counter-rally” in Novi Sad: preparations; a report and two videos; and a guest-blogger's report. Also, another report from Pustolovina: adventure in Serbian.
Ukraine: UPA's 65th Anniversary
Ukrainiana posts a comprehensive entry on the history and the 65th anniversary of “Ukraine’s underrecognized Insurgent Army” (UPA): “Attempts at re-educating and reconciling elderly people contrary to their beliefs should be abandoned. But revisiting Ukrainian history and recognizing, for future generations, the people and events misrepresented in Soviet textbooks makes...
Cuba: Press Freedom Index Ranking
Referring to the Reporters Without Borders annual index rating of the level of press freedom around the world, Uncommon Sense says: “Cuba's specific rating almost is irrelevant. What counts is the company it keeps at the bottom of RSF's rankings each year.”
China: Why Focus on Clapping?
Liu Xiao-yuan wondered while mainstream media in China was interested in how many times people clapped during Hu Jintao's speech in 17th Party Congress (zh). The blogger criticized such kind of formalism in China politics. His original post was deleted in sina (zh) while there is no problem in posting...
Former Soviet Union: Pyotr Grigorenko's Centenary
Window on Eurasia writes about the “neglected centenary” of General Pyotr Grigorenko: “People like the late general are a rarity. Anyone who met him – and I was fortunate enough to do so – counts himself privileged. But even more, all those living in the post-Soviet states now are his...
Russia: Sokolov vs Kissing Policemen
Siberian Light reports on the Kissing Policemen and Russia's “prudish Culture Minister Alexander Sokolov.”
China: Right to Express
Liu Xiao yuan noticed that a new term “right to express” appeared in the 17th party congress (zh). He pointed out the existing Chinese constitution has ensured freedom of speech, yet in reality, it is a sensitive issue. The blogger suggested that in order to protect the “right to express”...
China: Tough blogging the Communist Congress
The largest of many white elephants in China's blogsphere, bloggers for whom the Seventeenth National Communist Party Congress is too good to pass up on, in absence of text-based information regarding what's going on inside, have instead made a mashup using limited television coverage, MSN Messenger, humor and more.
Korea: Pressroom and Freedom of Media
On the 12th of October, the South Korean government announced that they would close the pressroom as they announced before. Journalists have been strongly against it and international media have conveyed this news as concern about the freedom of media in Korea. How have netizens reacted it? Not a few...
Serbia: Google vs Goran Davidovic
East Ethnia reports on Google's decision to shut down the blog of a Serbian Nazi.
Bahrain blocks Haq political movement website
A Press Release issued on October 12th by the HAQ: Movement of Liberties and Democracy- Bahrain, which Global Voices Advocacy received a copy of it, reveals that Bahrain has blocked access to its electronic website.
Hong Kong: Indecent Article
Roland has provided more background and translated my article (zh) on the recent development of the classification of indecency of a feature article from inmediahk.net which protested against the judgment of photo hyperlink as indecency.
Special Coverage: Burmese protests 2007
Recent protests in Myanmar simply would not have been as big a story if there weren't brave people on the inside (and outside) willing to risk everything to spread news, photos and videos via the internet. Read all about it on Global Voices' Special Coverage page.
Iran: Students protest against Ahmadinejad at Tehran University
Hundreds of Iranian students protested President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presence at the University of Tehran on Monday, October 8. According to Al Jazeera, students chanted "Down with the dictator!" as he delivered a speech to mark the start of the academic year. Several bloggers published photos and comments.
El Salvador: Bloggers and Journalists
The intersection points of blogging and journalism are many and varied in El Salvador. Journalists are bloggers. Bloggers write about journalists and vice versa. Although El Salvador is a country where most people can't spend significant amounts of time online, the ever-growing number of bloggers in El Salvador is starting to influence public debate.
Syria: more victims of Internet repression
A new report released by Human Rights Watch reveals that two persons are being held in incommunicado detention at an undisclosed location in Syria. Karim ‘Arbaji (29) and Tarek Biasi (22) were arrested in June 2007 by Syrian Military Intelligence for expressing online views critical of the Syrian government. A...
