Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco
24 July 2017
Arrest Over a Facebook Rant Brings Trinidad & Tobago's Cybercrime Legislation Into Sharp Focus
"Overbroad content offences are always illegitimate, but are particularly dangerous online, where many people are still in the process of discovering their voice."
19 May 2017
Cybercrime Charges Against Jamaica's Tambourine Army Founder Dropped
Jamaica's Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped all three charges against activist La Toya Nugent, under the country's Cybercrimes Act.
23 March 2017
Is Jamaica Preventing Cybercrime or Cyber Activism? The Tambourine Army Goes to Court
"Making threats through social media is a criminal offence, but making accusations is not. In interpreting the new act, the courts must ensure [...] the right to freedom of expression.”
21 March 2017
Jamaican Activist Arrested Under Cybercrime Law Amid Her Campaign Against Sexual Violence
"If the Tambourine Army believe they have exhausted all avenues of ‘proper’ ways to advocate, then I say do what you must, but please don’t give up the fight."
1 December 2016
Polls Open Amid Communications Blackout in The Gambia
The Gambia has shut off all external communications as citizens cast their votes in the country's presidential elections, by blocking both the internet and international phone calls.
Award-Winning Chinese Citizen News Site Founder Detained Amid Crackdown on Human Right Defenders
The founder of a Chinese citizen news site has been detained in what one human rights organization is calling "the escalation of President Xi Jinping’s relentless crackdown on civil society."
28 February 2016
The Malaysian Insider News Website Blocked by Authorities for Posting ‘Unverified’ Report on Government Corruption
"Such unilateral action could also be construed as an attempt to intimidate the media against running critical news reports."
8 November 2009
Cuba: Yoani Sanchez & Other Bloggers Seized
Yoaní Sánchez, Cuba's most famous blogger, who has received countless international awards for her activism, was detained briefly and beaten by Cuban authorities on November 6, along with fellow bloggers,...
28 March 2008
Cuba: Blocking Bloggers
Want to get the Cuban blogosphere talking? Block access to a popular blog. Ever since Cuban authorities did just that to several less-than-supportive Havana-based blogs earlier this week, the blogging...