Stories from March, 2023
A Russian girl drew anti-war picture. Now she is in a children's shelter and her dad is under arrest
One year ago, a fifth-grade student, Masha Moskaleva, drew an anti-war picture. Now, her father faces up to three years in prison and Masha may be sent to an orphanage.
How Vietnam’s state trolls are undermining free speech and democracy
"We urge Meta to cross check systematically all reporting on human rights NGOs pages such as Viet Tan to avoid falling in trolls’ trap."
Venezuelan authorities spied on 20% of major telecom's clients
A major telecommunications company released a report giving evidence of privacy abuse on behalf of Maduro's government.
Online gender-based violence: A tool of digital authoritarianism in India
Women journalists in India have been trolled, received death and rape threats, found themselves objectified on apps, and are allegedly targeted by spyware like Pegasus.
Veteran Hong Kong labor rights activist arrested on suspicion of foreign collusion
The 65-year-old labour rights activist Elizabeth Tang was arrested outside Stanley prison on suspicion of foreign collusion after visiting her husband Lee Chuek Yan who is charged with "inciting subversion."
In Azerbaijan, journalists unite in saying ‘we do not want licensed media’
The campaign demands that the government repeal the law, alleging it violates Azerbaijan's Constitution, and remove the requirement for registration with the Media Registry.
Against journalists, violence without borders in Kazakhstan
In 2022, dozens of journalists were detained or summoned by the police. And while most of these instances occurred during Qandy Qantar, in some cases they seem specifically targeted.
Meta's Oversight Board grapples with Facebook and Instagram's opaque content guidelines
If Meta is to continue to be a safe space for human rights defenders, it will have to engage seriously and in good faith with the Oversight Board.
Georgians take to the streets as parliament considers new ‘foreign agent’ bill
Hundreds of Georgians took the streets to protest what civil society describe as Georgia's very own "foreign agent" law.
Fake Russian fact-checkers spread propaganda about the war in Ukraine
PolitiFact analyzed this website and found its fact-checks that use well-known techniques of Russian propaganda — incoherence, a large number of claims, repetition of statements on obvious untruths — to confuse the public.
