· September, 2009

Stories about Freedom of Speech from September, 2009

Morocco: A Dangerous Flu

  14 September 2009

At least five Moroccan independent journalists will appear before a judge later this month in Rabat, after having published articles challenging the official announcement about King Mohammed VI's health. It is believed the monarch has contracted "a viral, benign disease." Bloggers have been debating this issue, mostly denouncing the attacks on journalists.

Hong Kong: TVB's beaten journalists and brave new voice

  13 September 2009

The strong condemnation delivered by Cantonese-language channel TVB Jade of the way its journalists were treated in Xinjiang spurred certain criticism and ridicule online, and the antagonistic stance taken towards the mainland Chinese authorities in recent days struck some as such a shift in character as to seem hypocritical.

Azerbaijan: Good news… for a change

  11 September 2009

Following the detention and prosecution of youth activists in two of the three countries making up the South Caucasus, Thoughts on the Road reports that there is at least some good news for a change. Even if the trial of video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli is set to...

Sri Lanka: The State Of Freedom Of Expression

  11 September 2009

Going Global comments on the state of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka: “Freedom of expression is largely seen as an unaffordable luxury by most of the intellectual crowd in Sri Lanka right now. Journalists are pretty much a oppressed group of people and now bloggers are slowly beginning to...

Russia: Scott Anderson's GQ Article

  10 September 2009

Conde Nast management chose not to run Scott Anderson’s article “Vladimir Putin’s Dark Rise to Power” – which appeared in the Sept. 2009 issue of GQ – in the magazine's Russian edition. Gawker.com posted the original article and a Russian translation – “as a public service.” LJ user vadda has...

Egypt: Cairo Airport Security Strikes Again

  10 September 2009

Bikya Masr reported: “First, an American citizen was barred from entering the country last week and sent back to London. Now, a Palestinian-Norwegian mother of two was stopped by security as she attempted to board her flight to Amsterdam on Monday morning, being told she was a “national security risk”...

Cuba: Antúnez Arrested

  10 September 2009

“No one should be surprised that Antúnez is again in jail,” writes diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense, as he blogs about the most recent arrest of the Cuban human rights activist.

Hong Kong: Journalists accused of incitement

  9 September 2009

Last Friday (Sep 4), three Hong Kong journalists were beaten up and detained by Xinjiang armed polices when they were covering the protest in Urumqi. Yesterday, the authorities in Xinjiang claimed that the three journalists were under the suspicion of inciting public disorder by making hand gestures. The director of...

China: New real-name requirement

  8 September 2009

Rebecca MacKinnon from Rconversation discussed the implementation of real name registration in online discussion and pointed out that the system, started from South Korea, is becoming a global trend.

China: Crowdsourcing subtitle translations

  8 September 2009

Activist Tan Zuoren, little-known outside China, is the inspiration for a new documentary from artist Ai Weiwei and his Sugar Jar posse. Featuring civil rights lawyers Liu Xiaoyuan and Pu Zhiqiang, Chinese netizens have since begun transcribing and translating subtitles for the film.

Cuba: Political Conscience

  7 September 2009

Uncommon Sense focuses the spotlight on one of many political prisoners who cannot attend the Juanes concert, saying: “Hopefully, Juanes will…come to understand that without justice for him and other Cubans imprisoned because of their commitment to their consciences, there will be no peace in Cuba.”

Thailand: Amnesty criticised on lese majeste issue

  7 September 2009

The issue of lese majeste is again in the news following the 18 year prison sentence given to Daranee Chanchoengsilpakul. International human rights groups including Amnesty International have come under criticism for their failure to take sufficient action in lese majeste cases. Political Prisoners in Thailand says that Amnesty should...