Stories about TOPICS from January, 2022
Russia rose to second place globally in Twitter content removal requests
Russia came in second place after Japan and accounted for 25 percent of global Twitter takedown requests in January-June 2021. Most requests targeted content that allegedly violated local laws against suicide promotion.
Why a writer is on trial for calling Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s son obese
An unapologetic critic of the Museveni government, Kakwenza rose to prominence in April 2020 when he was arrested and detained for a week by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence.
Belarusian cyberactivists claim railway system hack to protest Russian troop movements
The hacker collective said it would be prepared to hand over encryption keys if 50 Belarusian political prisoners were released and the presence of Russian troops in Belarus was “prevented.”
In Turkey, a singer defies threats with a new song
The president, speaking after Friday noon prayer, said "no one can defame his holiness Adam. It is our duty, to rip out the tongues of those who do when necessary."
Media crackdown continues ahead of coup anniversary in Myanmar
"He is the third journalist to be killed in Myanmar in less than a month, in a sign of the absolutely unacceptable practices increasingly employed by the junta."
As Kenyans prepare for a general election, how will officials combat fake news?
Is this election likely to be any different? These fact-checking startups have recently stepped up their efforts to counter fake news and prevent a hijack of Kenya's democracy.
Internet watchdog finds encryption flaw in mandatory Chinese Olympic app
Athletes, journalists and all other attendees of the Beijing Winter Olympics are required to use the My2022 app but data submitted through the app may be intercepted.
In Georgia, six months after the tragic death of journalist, authorities blame drug overdose
The same day, authorities claimed Lashkarava died from drug overdose, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added Laskharava's name to its observatory of killed journalists in 2021.
Erdoğan and the AKP's war with art and culture
In the years since the ascent to power, President Erdoğan's, ruling, Justice and Development Party (AKP) has slowly taken under its control much of the country's art and culture scene.
Google removes YouTube ads featuring interrogations of Belarusian political prisoners
The short videos, used to promote pro-government channels, feature opposition members and independent journalists imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime in what look like forced confessions made under duress.
New colonization in Russia’s Arctic threatens indigenous rights
Pressure is growing on indigenous activists from Russia’s north, Siberia, and far east, even though the groups are almost totally uninvolved in politics in the literal sense.
Independent Hong Kong news outlet Citizen News announces shut down
Citizen News was established by a group of veteran journalists in 2017. In its shut down announcement the news team said they can not fulfill their ideals without any worry.
