Stories about Freedom of Speech from July, 2011
Cuba: Interview with Palacios
the voice of el morro interviews Hector Palacios, a name associated with “the internal opposition in Cuba.”
Russia: News Website to be Closed Because of Racial Clashes Coverage
URA.ru, an information agency and website that became popular after it extensively covered clashes in a small Russian village Sagra, is on the verge of being closed down by the authorities. It is said that because of URA.ru, the coverage of Sagra clashes became “too extensive” in media.
Iran: A blogger was sentenced to 17 months in prison
Peyman Roshan Zamir, a blogger and political activist from southern city Ahwaz was sentenced [fa] to 17 months of prison. He was accused of insulting Islamic republic's Leader and propaganda against regime.
Tunisia: Campaign to Free Government Critic Samir Feriani
A group of Tunisian bloggers and activists have launched a campaign to free Samir Feriani, a former senior official in Tunisia's Interior Ministry who has been detained since May, 29, 2011.
TED Talk by Global Voices Co-Founder Rebecca MacKinnon
In a TED talk on July 12, 2011 Rebecca MacKinnon describes how the internet has become a primary communication channel between citizens and governments, but warns that there is a corporate layer of “internet sovereigns” between the two. Let's take back the Internet," she says.
Belarus: Vkontakte Social Network Blocked by the Providers
Update: Access to the Vkontake site is now restored. Vkontakte, Russian social network, is unavailable for Belarus Internet Users. The network hosts “Revolution Through the Social Network” [ru] group used to organize non-violent protests, telegraf.by reported [ru]. Individual Belarus-based users told GV that the page loads only header but the...
Russia: Anti-Cop Blogger Is Granted Political Asylum in Estonia
Savva Terentyev, blogger from Syktyvkar who was accused of inciting hatred towards policemen in 2008, was granted a political asylum in Estonia, BBC's Russian Service reports [ru]. Terentyev decided to emigrate because he couldn't find job in Syktyvkar after the trial. “All the doors were shut for me due to...
China: Detained Tibetan Writer Severely Beaten
High Peaks Pure Earth translates Woser's blogpost on July 7 2011 about the detention and mistreatment of young Tibetan writer Pema Rinchen by the Chinese authority.
Malaysia: Bersih 2.0 Rally Rattles the Government
It was organized to push merely for electoral reforms but Malaysia's huge Bersih rally last weekend which was violently dispersed by the police has grown into a political movement that threatens the image and stability of the government. Bersih is now called by many people as the name of Malaysia's revolution
Syria: Bloggers Rally for Anas Maarawi
Anas Maarawi is the latest Syrian blogger to have been imprisoned. He was detained on Friday July 1, 2011, in his neighborhood of Kafarsouseh in Damascus, and nothing has been heard of him since. Bloggers are rallying for his release.
Hungary: Public Media Job Cuts
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the staff cuts at the three Hungarian public media outlets: “My understanding is that the two television stations [MTV and Dune TV] and Magyar Rádió have a total of something like 3,500 employees. From the little one can learn about the government's plans, most likely 1,000...
Cuba: Political Opposition
Uncommon Sense links to statistics about politically motivated arrests and deduces that “the numbers, although different, agree on one point about repression in Cuba. It is getting worse.”
The Disputed Reputation of Portugal's Former Political Police Chief
Major Silva Pais, the last director of Portugal's repressive PIDE police force - operative during the country's “New State” period - has been implicated in a play, in the 1965 assassination of democratic opposition politician General Humberto Delgado. A controversial criminal case is underway by Pais' nephews against the play's author and the directors who staged it.
Belarus: One-way ticket to the west
Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia ridicules Belarus president's, Lukashenko, proposal to send all political prisoners in the country to the West, if Europe will have them.
North Korean Newspapers Never Go out of Business?
Blogger Hankok Story summarized characteristics of North Korean newspaper. The most extraordinary thing about newspapers in North is that they don't have to worry about going out of business, since newspapers are distributed to pre-selected people loyal to ruling party. They can shut down only when the party orders closing.
Belarus: Guilt by association?
LJ user budimir claims [RU] that Michail Myasnikovich, Prime Minister of Belarus, has announced that employees will be fired if they or members of their family participate in protests against the Lukashenko regime – a measure the blogger “supports”.
Russia, U.S.: RT and American Media
Mark Adomanis of Forbes’ The Russia Hand writes about RT, a Russian TV news network previously known as Russia Today, and the American media.
Recent Cases of Journalists Killed in Honduras and Mexico
The Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas blog reports on the latest killings of journalists in Mexico and Honduras.
Cuba: Twitter Truce
“The exchange started cold, with scorched looks and the logical suspicion between persons who reside in a nation where debate of opposite opinions is a rare bird”: Iván García blogs about TwittHab, “the first encounter between official and alternative ‘twitterers’ [where]…both groups could look face to face and even exchange...
Belarus: An Overview of Political Situation
At OpenDemocracy.net, an overview of the situation in Belarus, by Janek Lasocki.
Hungary: A Roundup on Politics
Belatedly, links to some of Hungarian Spectrum‘s posts: on the Hungarian “oligarch” and PM's ally Sándor Demján; on the opposition rally and gay pride parade that took place in mid-June; on Hillary Clinton's visit to Budapest; and on a lecture by Aladár Horváth, the chairman of the Roma Civil Rights...