Stories about Freedom of Speech from December, 2007
Russia, Moldova: Natalia Morar's Expulsion
Perspectives on the New Russia and Robert Amsterdam write about journalist Natalia Morar's work and the possible reasons for her expulsion from Russia.
Soviet History: 1963 Race Rally
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about a little-known 1963 rally in Moscow's Red Square, when 500 African students rallied against racial discrimination, following the death of a Ghanian fellow student.
Iran:24 Internet cafés closed,23 people arrested
According to Reporters Without Borders, 24 Internet cafés in the course of a police operation in Tehran on 16 December were closed and 23 people, including 11 women, were arrested for “immoral behaviour.”
Russia: Andrew Kuchins’ Report
Eternal Remont writes about Andrew C. Kuchins’ “Alternative Futures for Russia to 2017″ report and the Russian media's reaction to it.
Slovenia: Political Battles
An update on Slovenia's political battles – over at Sleeping With Pengovsky, here and here.
The Balkans: Kosovo War Inevitable?
Slovenian photographer Borut Peterlin does a photo story on a Serbian paramilitary group and leaves Kosovo and southern Serbia with a conviction that “another war in Kosovo is inevitable.”
Slovenia: Pepi Sekulic Honors Salih Mahmoud Osman
Adventures in Wheelville writes about and posts some picture from a Ljubljana exhibit by Pepi Sekulic, honoring Salih Mahmoud Osman, a “Sudanese human rights lawyer who has recently been awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.”
Japan: Final Report on Internet Regulation
The idea that a country boasting one of the world's most active net cultures would attempt to regulate online content within its borders may appear to some as infeasible. But plans unveiled earlier this year by the Japanese government aim to do exactly this, targeting a broad range of content that includes blogs and personal homepages.
China: Bullog's top stories of 2007
Is it top ten year-end list time yet? Bullog International blogger Song Shinan gives us eight choices [zh] in a vote for blog story of the year at Bullog, the small but growing blog service provider (BSP) which hosts some of China's most progressive blogger voices, centered around hope to...
Slovenia: “When Misinformation Becomes Institutionalised”
Marko Bucik explains at length what kind of damage could be done by an article on Slovenian EU presidency, written by Slovenia's foreign minister for an English-language promo leaflet.
Belarus: Lawsuit Against Newspaper
TOL's Belarus writes about a lawsuit filed against a Minsk newspaper.
Russia: Advice to Opposition
TOL's Elections in Russia quotes a Russian blogger who thinks the opposition's approach isn't constructive enough.
Russia: “Nashi” in Moscow
The first post-election week in Moscow was marked by increased presence of out-of-town members of the pro-Putin youth movement Nashi ("Ours") - and by the first public appearance of members of Mishki ("Bear Cubs"), a new children's pro-Putin movement. Below are one blogger's impressions of a group of Nashi - as well as her thoughts on Russia's future.
The Balkans: Croatian Serbs
Balkan Anarchist writes at length about Croatian Serbs and their war experiences: “If someone were to ask me how I felt about what my Serbs, the Croatian Serbs, went through during the first half of the 1990s, I would answer them by saying, “heartbroken”. Heartbroken that those leaders who led...
Serbia: “Tension Digest”
Belgrade 2.0 writes about “Kosovo is Serbia” campaign and other elements of the current Kosovo-related “tension.”
Iran: Leftist Students Arrested
The Iranian government arrested several leftists students in Tehran and Mazandaran last week – perhaps as a preemptive action before the “Student Day” (16 Azar). The leftists student group “Students for Freedom and Equality” informed the world about this through their blogs, and were able to organize several rallies for...
The Anonymous Blogging guide is now available in French
The Anonymous Blogging with WordPress and Tor guide is now available in French thanks to this translation by the Tunisian blogger Malek Khadhraoui, and we are busy making translations into other languages. The guide outlines several methods of protecting one’s identity in order to avoid retaliation and can considerably...
Russia: Prison Torture Video
Robert Amsterdam posts “a secret video made in 2006 by a prison guard of a ‘Preventative Actions’ exercise by the OMON (special police squad) performed at a prison camp in Yekaterinburg”: “The appalling instances of beatings, torture, inhumane treatment and excessive and arbitrary violence shown in this recording inarguably represent...
Russia: Bloggers Don't Recognize Election Results
TOL's Elections in Russia writes about a Russian blogger's campaign to “not recognize the results of these ‘elections’.”
Russia: Mishki
Lyndon of Scraps of Moscow posts a comprehensive review of media and blog coverage of Mishki, the new pro-Kremlin children's movement that has rendered “many Russians and Russia-watchers” “speechless.” Lyndon has also discovered Mishki‘s website: “Mishki.ru got a “server not found” message, but then I thought that maybe this group...
Turkey: Hrant Dink Named World Press Freedom Hero
Oneworld Multimedia carries news that murdered Turkish-Armenian editor and journalist Hrant Dink has been named as one of its World Press Freedom Heroes by the International Press Institute.
