Stories about Freedom of Speech from September, 2010
Indonesia: Local government closes church defying court order
A Christian protestant church, GKI Taman Yasmin in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia was forced to cease activities by Bogor's regency on Sunday night. The police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) surrounded the church, disbanded a church meeting, then sealed the building by the city's order.
Nepal: Power Internet Users Targeted
XNepali Blog informs that the Nepali police are snooping on high-speed internet users in the country.
Iran: “Shiva sentenced to lashes and Prison”
According to [fa] several news sites, Iranian jailed blogger and human rights activist, Shiva Nazar Ahari was sentenced to 74 lashes and six years prison.
Lebanon: Bloggers with Battle Scars
“It was always embarrassing to attend Arab bloggers’ conferences as a “Lebanese” blogger. Everyone else had real battle scars… So we really had nothing to contribute to discussions of activists who really put their neck on the line facing Arab tyrants,” wrote Jamal who was commenting on the arrest of...
Russia: “Luzhkovectomy”
The Moscow Diaries, The Power Vertical, and The Kremlin Stooge weigh in on the Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov scandal.
Colombia: The Case of J.J. Rendón, ‘he who can't be named’
Tomáz Garzía, a Colombian blogger and cartoonist, revealed through his blog that he had received an email from the legal representative of controversial Venezuelan Juan José Rendón, demanding that he erase the content where he refers to Rendón's participation in the recent Colombian presidential elections. Twitter users and bloggers have reacted to the email, emphasizing the right to freedom of speech.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers to require registration?
As the use of new and social media starts to surface in the run-up to the 7 November parliamentary election in Azerbaijan, In Mutatione Fortitudo reports that there are now calls for bloggers to be considered similar to journalists. While on the surface such a suggestion sounds positive, the accompanying...
Honduras: Another Case of Police Brutality
Juan Carlos Rivera [es] and user Hibueras [es] report on another case of police brutality during a protest led by the Resistance Front in the city San Pedro Sula. According to Juan Carlos Rivera, 20 thousand people participated in the march on September 15. He also posted pictures of the...
Bolivia: The Discussion Around the Anti-racism Law
In Citizen of La Paz, Luis Ramos writes [es] about his opinion on the anti-racism law. Journalists are concerned about the law and have criticized it as an attack on freedom of speech, to which Luis responds, “is it that hard to leave racial insults aside?”
Colombia: Blogger Censored, Asked to Remove Content
Tomáz, in his blog Mundo Graficador, shares [es] and reacts to an email he received from the legal representative of someone he had talked about in his blog. In the email, the legal representative asks Tomáz to remove the content where he was allegedly using the name and image of...
Azerbaijan: Freedom of expression a pressing concern
Ahead of the 7 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on a new report by Article 19 on freedom of expression in the oil-rich former Soviet republic. With journalists and bloggers in jail much to the concern of the international community, the blog agrees that...
Iran: Jailed Blogger Shiva Nazar Ahari is Freed on $500,000 Bail
Shiva Nazar Ahari, a jailed human rights activist and blogger, was freed yesterday. According to several news websites, Shiva was released on $500,000 bail. She went to trial in handcuffs in early September and was accused of involvement with the organization, People's Mujahedin of Iran.
Yoani Sanchez denied another traveling visa
Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez tweets about another visa refusal for traveling, this time to receive the World Press Freedom Hero Award in Vienna, Austria. And it seems unlikely she could attend the Internet for Peace conference (New York City, Sept. 21), a global initiative aimed at supporting the Internet as...
Indonesia: Online rage over attack on church leaders
Two Christian church leaders were stabbed during a Sunday service in Indonesia which enraged netizens. As a protest, Facebookers were encouraged to "blank out" their profile pictures.
China: Video game censorship
The Angry Chinese Blogger looks into the Chinese government's censorship against video game, an area where human rights organizations have overlooked.
Angola: Journalist Killed for Unclear Motive
Angolan journalist Alberto Chakussanga was killed on September 5, at his house. The motive behind the killing is not clear. Some bloggers suggest [pt] that there are connections with politics, as Chakussanga hosted a radio programme critical of the Government. Committee to Protect Journalists and French NGO Reporters Sans Frontiers...
Brazil: “Do It Yourself” Clean Elections
In less than one month there will be elections in Brazil and Eleitor 2010 has already became a game-changer: it is a "crowdsourcing" project aiming to facilitate citizen reports of abuses of the electoral process. Through the platform, some entertaining anecdotes have already come to light.
Russia: Bloggers Clash With the Ruling Party
The Russian Internet community's response to the wildfires was accompanied with a high level of hostility and direct clashes between netizens and pro-government activists. Gregory Asmolov analyzes the conflict and suggests a strong linkage between the degree of online cooperation and the way online sources presented the role of the government in the wildfires disaster.
Blog Carnival: Venezuela, Freedom of Expression on the Internet – A Summary
After reading the participating posts for the Blog Carnival: Venezuela, Freedom of Expression on the Internet, it is clear that while within the scope of traditional media there might be attempts to curtail freedom of expression, on the Internet the picture is very different. Read what Venezuelan bloggers had to say on this issue.
MENA: Voicing Support for Arrested Bahraini Blogger Ali Abdulemam
Outrage over the arrest of Bahraini human rights activist and blogger Ali Abdulemam has sparked an outpouring of support from around the world.
Cuba: Prince Claus Award
Generation Y blogs about the “great surprise” of receiving the 2010 Prince Claus Award, saying: “I’m only going to focus on the satisfactions: the growing alternative blogosphere, the cracks that have opened in the wall, the Podcast I just inaugurated a few weeks ago, and all the text messages I’ve...
