Stories about Freedom of Speech from May, 2010
Quick Overview of Russian Blogosphere in 2009-2010
Russian Internet is becoming more politicised and more regulated place. Together with more trust and number of readers, bloggers gain more attention from the authorities. At the same time, the structure of the blogosphere tends to reproduce the offline social structure with its biases and hierarchy
Belarus: New Internet Regulations
New Internet regulations in Belarus provide the government with new forms of control: compulsory registration of all websites (and compulsory hosting in Belarus), collection of personal data of Internet cafe users. As ej.by suggests, the new regulations will automatically criminalize all foreign-based resources (and especially those of the opposition), as...
Cuba: Higher Calling
Commenting on Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino's recent work as a mediator for the Ladies in White, Iván's File Cabinet says that religious leaders “should not speak just in the name of God. He should also speak out in the voice of those who don’t have one.”
Belarus: Iryna Vidanava on FP's World's Top Dissidents List
Belarus Digest notes that Foreign Policy's The World’s Top Dissidents list includes one Belarusian (“Iryna Vidanava, founder and editor of the multimedia youth magazine 34), but does not include a few other prominent dissident politicians.
Russia: “Ingushetia-ru” Blogger Arrested?
Valery Dzutsev writes that LJ user ingushetia-ru has allegedly been arrested in Moscow: “His blog was mainly focusing on the events in Ingushetia in the North Caucasus, but also general events in Russia attracted his attention. He kept his real name in strict secret and, according to some sources, his...
Cambodia: Freedom of Assembly in Freedom Park
Cambodia has designated a Freedom Park where citizens can use to air their grievances against the government. The Freedom Park is located far from government buildings. Protesting in other areas is outlawed.
Bahrain: More Freedom Please
A new Facebook group, entitled Enough restricting Bahraini freedom, has been set up in Bahrain, calling for more freedom. So far, 257 members have joined the group.
Ukraine: “Stolen Memory”
At OpenDemocracy.net, Roman Kabachiy writes about “the influence of politics on historical memory” in Ukraine: “[…] it’s business as usual: the Soviet archives are once again to be closed to outsiders.” More on this – at Kyiv Scoop and Window on Eurasia.
Cuba: Legal Process
Laritza's Laws & Cuban Legal Advisor blogs about the legal process surrounding the “trial of independent journalist Dania Virgen Garcia.”
Singapore: Complaining through internet
For Want of a Better Title from Singapore believes blogging and the internet in general have allowed many Singaporeans to speak out about bad service or programs by companies
Tunisia: A Black Day for Bloggers
Several Tunisian blogs, even those which have been inactive for months, have been blocked by the authorities for "no reason." Lina Ben Mhenni brings us the story.
Lebanon: Lebanese Bloggers Convention
“Discussing the impact of blogging on the freedom of speech in Lebanon and the effect of blogging on the Lebanese society and culture” is one of the topics on the agenda of The First Annual Lebanese Bloggers Convention that is planned to take place at the American University of Beirut...
Lebanon: Questionable flag
Beirut Chronicles travels to the village of Bteghrine, north of Beirut, to follow up on rumours of a German flag bearing a swastika hung in the main square. The blog shows us a picture of the building from which the flag is hung, and discusses the issue in this post[Fr].
Guyana: Searching for Freedom
“I learn that within freedom we must have discipline. I don’t think of that discipline as censorship. I think of it as putting brain into action before switching on motor-mouth”: The closing of Google China gets Guyana-Gyal thinking about freedom and responsibility.
Iran: 126,000 Fans Cheer Mousavi's Opposition Facebook Group
Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hussein Mousavi's Facebook group has more than 126,000 fans. Hamid Tehrani speaks to the founder of the group and discusses the impact of citizen media on the Iranian political front.
Tunisia: Anti-Censorship Facebook Group Formed
Tunisian bloggers have formed a Facebook group [Ar] entitled: Censorship tarnishes my country's reputation.
Russia: The Little Blue Buckets Pedestrian Protest
The Little Blue Buckets pedestrian mock protest against the often illegal use of blue flashing lights (migalki) and the resulting reckless driving by state officials took place in Moscow on May 2; about half a dozen participants ended up getting detained by the police. Photos, video and comments (RUS) –...
The State of Citizen Media in Madagascar
It has been an eventful for the citizen media scene in Madagascar. The blogosphere in Madagascar has been growing slowly but steadily the past decade, slightly struggling to find its voice until the 2009 political crisis. The sudden precipitation of events that provoked high demand for frequent updates provided a...
Egypt: A Strike for Minimum Wages
A court ruling was issued to force the Egyptian government to set a minimum living wage for both the private and public sector workers. Egyptian bloggers are reacting and promoting this strike.
Honduras: 7 Journalists Killed and Others Threatened
7 Honduran journalists have been murdered in the past 40 days, which continues the concerns about the state of freedom of expression in the country. Many of the journalists have been outspoken critics of the 2009 coup that removed former President Mel Zelaya from office.