Stories about Freedom of Speech from September, 2008
Russia: Valdai Discussion Club
A Step At A Time and Window on Eurasia write about the Valdai Discussion Club and the coverage of Russia in the West.
Russia: South Park Rally in Moscow
Robert Amsterdam writes about the South Park ordeal in Russia; LJ user al_31f posts photos from a Sept. 13 rally in Moscow in support of South Park and 2×2, the...
Brazil: Justice aims at Twitter and hits innocent bloggers
If the Brazilian Electoral Justice is not quite sure about what the Internet is, their latest blunder proves that Twitter is completely alien to them. When trying to take down a fake mayoral candidate's profile on the popular network, they managed to take offline a blog that had nothing to do with the story. Mind you: They could have taken down the whole Twitter website instead.
Malaysian blogger arrested again
Hard-hitting Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin was arrested again by police for allegedly violating Malaysia's Internal Security Act. Another journalist was arrested too.
Trinidad & Tobago: What's Wrong
As a Trinidadian man dies after his car was firebombed, Coffeewallah blogs about the many things that are bothering her about her country.
Russia: South Park Extremism
Sean's Russia Blog reports: “The Russian Extremism Law has found a new target: South Park.”
Russia: Washington Post's Coverage
The Ivanov Report dissects the Washington Post's recent coverage of Russia: “What was somewhat surprising, though, was the level of the Post's attention to the topic: between August 9 and...
Russia: Personal Responsibility
Estonian blogger Flasher T of AnTyx writes this in response to a post about Russia by the Economist's Edward Lucas: “I am disappointed in Edward Lucas for perpetuating this intellectual...
Russia: Thoughts on Magomed Yevloev's Murder
Window on Eurasia discusses a recent piece on Magomed Yevloev's murder: “Moreover, the West […] is too focused on talking to Moscow ‘about the interpretation of the third paragraph of...
Slovenia: Janez Janša and Magnus Berglund
Borut Peterlin thinks that Finnish journalist Magnus Berglund should be awarded “a Slovenian national medal of honor” for making public PM Janez Janša's graft allegations. There's even a Facebook group...
Morocco: An Inside View of Mohammed Raji's Trial
Ibn Kafka offers [fr] an inside view of Mohammed Raji's trial, explaining that Raji was not given the opportunity to defend himself, nor was he permitted defense by a lawyer.
Morocco: Understanding Mohammed Raji's Sentence
Less than a year ago, Global Voices noted Morocco as the “liveliest free speech zone in Muslim North Africa.” And yet, journalists are all too frequently fined or arrested, and yesterday a blogger, Mohammed Raji, joined their ranks. The blogger was arrested yesterday afternoon for insulting the king, and was immediately tried and sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of MAD 5,000 (about $625). The Moroccan blogosphere, lively as ever, has rallied around Raji.
Egypt: Kareem being Harassed in Prison
When Kareem’s friends were denied entry to the prison in order to visit him, we knew that something’s up. Today a report from The Arab Network for Human Rights Information...
Morocco: Free Speech Disrespected
“Unfortunately, the Moroccan government has proved its disrespect for free speech by arresting a young blogger on Friday, the 5th of September, simply for publishing an article critical of one...
Bulgaria, Macedonia: Rapprochement Through Literature
Yavor Mihaylov reports on how Bulgarian and Macedonian bloggers, through literature, have contributed more to the improvement of the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations than the Bulgarian and Macedonian governments from the recent years.
Morocco: Blogger Arrested, Sentenced Immediately
This morning, it was reported by the electronic news site Hespress [ar] that blogger Mohammed Raji was arrested in his home in Agadir. An article that Raji had posted on...
Morocco: The Post that led Mohammed Raji to Jail
Moroccan blogger Mohammed Raji is behind bars in his country for speaking his mind. Following is a translation of the post [Ar], which will cost the blogger two years of his freedom
Ecuador: Opposition and Dissent
With the political activity heating up as Ecuadorians come closer to September 28th referendum to approve the new Constitution, local bloggers reflect on the state of dissent and the role of the opposition in the political environment. Much of this focus falls on President Rafael Correa, who is portrayed as in one of the two extreme characterizations.
Israel: Did Tzipi Livni's team erase Shai's blog post from Google?
This story should serve as a warning for every internet user. It begins at a well known Israeli web-portal hook.co.il, with Shai Rozentsweig's blog, who writes funny satirical skits. Shai created a post that slightly mocks Tzipi Livni and her meager record of actual political achievements. This led to Google's intervention, most probably prompted by Tzipi Livni's team; an embarrassing surrender on Google's behalf, removing the blog from its search results.
Guatemala: Intercepting Electronic Communication
Renata Avila of Nothing is Permanent writes about the recent Constitutional Court ruling in Guatemala that allows the police to interecept electronic communications.
Brazil: Inventive censorship, and the case for anonymity
Bloggers debate the inventive Internet censorship strategy of using state level prosecutors and cybercrime allegations to immediately take down an informative website without the proper legal process
