· May, 2010

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

  11 May 2010

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.”

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

  9 May 2010

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.

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

  6 May 2010

Laritza's Laws & Cuban Legal Advisor blogs about the legal process surrounding the “trial of independent journalist Dania Virgen Garcia.”

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

  5 May 2010

“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.

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

  2 May 2010

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...

Honduras: 7 Journalists Killed and Others Threatened

  2 May 2010

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.