Stories about Media & Journalism from December, 2023
Looking forward to 2024: A year of crucial elections in South Asia
In 2023, pre-election implications were evident in certain South Asian nations as repressive laws stifled free expression and targeted critics. Opposition leaders faced arrests and judicial harassment, reflecting a concerning trend.
Cyberbullying hinders women’s participation in Indonesia’s 2024 elections
"Online attacks ramp up during elections which now also involve cyber troops running campaigns in the digital world and targeting women."
After a year in power, Malaysia’s Madani government falters on reform agenda
"The current government still attempts to restrict alternate views and the independence of media through the use of law and arbitrary practices."
Undertones: 2023, a year of narratives
We unpack the narratives surrounding our times’ most pressing topics
Mozambique: Digital landscape and internet disruption in the context of elections
This is a new situation and could be indicative of a violation of the right to information enshrined in Mozambican law.
In Azerbaijan, an entire village was vacated for the President's son-in-law
Ten families were forced to relocate from their ancestral lands so that Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev's son-in-law could build an agrocomplex. Much of the project was funded by state financing.
Azerbaijan to host next UN Climate Summit
Azerbaijan’s relationship with environmental protesters has been complicated in the past year.
Turkey bans access to 16 VPN providers
Pundits say, the goal of the recent ban is to prevent access to already blocked news websites in the country that were only accessible with VPN services.
Head of Azerbaijan's Presidential Security Service implicated in corruption scandal
Baku's InterContinental hotel has a suspicious history. When the land around the hotel was put up for auction, the details of the land's address and size were purposefully blacked out.
Georgia embarks on a journey toward EU membership
The December 14 decision comes amid a growing rift between Georgia's ruling government and Western allies, as well as the local civil society groups that insist the government has failed to fulfill 12 priority conditions.
Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approves changing the national flag
The president has provided eyebrow raising explanations for changing the flag.
Hong Kong embraces televised confessions of political prisoners
"It is the same kind of propaganda: the court’s ruling is justified and reasonable, and look, he himself confessed it. How would the National Security Judge wrong a good person?
Undertones: Critical voices from Israel, inhibited voices from Palestine
In this newsletter, we delve into Israel’s war on Gaza and provide behind-the-scenes reflections about our research and difficulties of covering a war.
Hong Kong: Subscribers of overseas activists’ blogs and channels face legal threat
Government adviser Ronny Tong said those who subscribe to content created by "wanted individuals" could be considered culpable under the National Security Law.
How Indonesia’s ‘illiberal cyberlaw’ undermines free speech and human rights
"We regret that the Indonesian Parliament has passed the amendment to the ITE Law, which contains problematic articles that undermine freedom of expression and freedom of the press."
Why I am exercising my right to protest in Trinidad & Tobago
This particular march is not merely a protest of alarm; it is also a gesture of mourning. Many of our people have died this year as victims of violence.
Museum of Russian anti-war street art opens online
Russian anthropologist Alexandra Arkhipova and her colleagues have been collecting examples of anti-war street-art — stickers, graffiti, leaflets, and complex installations — for 1.5 years, from 48 Russian cities.
Is selective coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza in the Czech Republic following or creating anti-Semitism?
“Selective media coverage among the most-followed outlets polarizes society, fostering an environment conducive to aggression and hate speech.”
Police immediately raids LGBTQ+ clubs in Moscow after Russia bans ‘International LGBTQ+ movement’
LGBTQ+ people in Russia say that they are afraid that anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ could now be announced as "extremist" and criminally punished.
From Hun Sen to Hun Manet: The worrying state of free speech in Cambodia
"Targeting journalists — particularly those who are reporting on human rights topics — undermines freedoms of expression and the press, which threatens the public’s access to information."
In Azerbaijan, five journalists arrested in ten days
The authorities failed to produce any evidence on the charges leveled against four Abzas Media journalists and in the case of arrested Kanal 13 journalist Aziz Orujov.
