I received an emailed press release today from Dr. Terry Jones, who I’ve interviewed in the past about his anti-Muslim sentiments. For those who don’t know him, he is the controversial pastor from the U.S. state of Florida who helped promote the anti-Islamic video, Innocence of Muslims, which was posted on YouTube and caused a wave […]
Google Ordered to Remove Anti-Muslim Video from YouTube
Posted February 28th, 2014 at 2:56 pm (UTC+0)
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Uganda: New Anti-Gay Law Could Cost Museveni Millions in Aid
Posted February 25th, 2014 at 1:43 pm (UTC+0)
Under a newly-enacted law in Uganda, anyone caught having same-sex relations could spend the rest of his or her life in prison. Not only that, but anyone “attempting” or “aiding and abetting” homosexuality could get jail time, and even speaking one’s opinion of the issue out loud could have serious consequences. Despite appeals from President […]
UPDATE: Turkish President Signs Controversial Internet Law
Posted February 20th, 2014 at 12:23 pm (UTC+0)
It’s official: Turkey’s president has signed a controversial new internet law which will enable the government to block select websites and require web hosts to turn over individual browser histories. President Abdullah Gül used Twitter to announce the news Tuesday, and this sparked an immediate Twitter drive by angry Turkish internet users using the hashtag […]
Russia: Silencing Critics at Sochi
Posted February 18th, 2014 at 5:32 pm (UTC+0)
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The arrests of several activists near Sochi have renewed attention on the ways in which dissent is suppressed in Russia. Two members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot were released after being arrested and detained for a short period Tuesday. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina say this was their arrest in three days. Tolokonnikova’s […]
Did Bing or Didn’t It?
Posted February 13th, 2014 at 11:20 am (UTC+0)
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GreatFire.org, an online advocacy group that monitors internet censorship in China, this week accused the Microsoft search engine Bing of censoring both English and Chinese web searches to omit content offensive to the Chinese government. Reuters reporters say that Bing search results omitted results that did show up in Google searches, such as “Dalai Lama.” […]
Three Must-Reads on Free Speech
Posted February 11th, 2014 at 3:08 pm (UTC+0)
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1) Freedom of Expression: The Gray Areas This month, the online arts and politics magazine Guernica, in collaboration with Free Word, Article 19 and English PEN, have published their first of five themed issues, commissioning writers and artists from across the globe to submit articles on freedom of expression. Among the contributions, Chilean playwright […]
Turkey: Tightening Up on Free Speech
Posted February 6th, 2014 at 3:55 pm (UTC+0)
Turkey this week took a step toward stifling critics and limiting free speech. Parliament passed a new law Wednesday which, if signed by President Abdullah Gül, will allow communication authorities to block access to internet sites within four hours–even without a court order. The legislation will require web hosts to store all internet browsing histories […]
Egypt: Video Released of the Interrogation, Arrest of Al Jazeera Reporters
Posted February 4th, 2014 at 4:24 pm (UTC+0)
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Egypt’s Al-Tahrir TV aired footage of the three Al-Jazeera journalists who were arrested in December and, as RePRESSed blogged earlier, charged with “belonging to a terrorist group and broadcasting false news that harms national security.” The 22-minute report (see above YouTube video), aired Sunday night, opens with an Al-Tahrir TV anchor introducing video of what […]
Colombia: Journalist, Animal Rights Activist Goes Into Hiding Over Death Threats
Posted February 3rd, 2014 at 9:24 am (UTC+0)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on authorities in Cartagena, Colombia, to take steps to protect a freelance journalist who has been forced into hiding after receiving death threats for her writing. In a January 7 editorial which appears on the Las 2 Orillas website, Eva Durán stated that the district of Barranquilla was planning […]
US: Congressman Threatens TV Reporter With Violence
Posted January 30th, 2014 at 4:56 pm (UTC+0)
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A U.S. Congressman under investigation for alleged campaign fundraising improprieties this week threatened to kill a New York reporter who questioned him about his finances. The incident took place at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night, following President Barack Obama’s annual State of the Union address. As the YouTube video segment (above) […]
