Stories about Free Expression from March, 2015
Another Blogger Hacked to Death: Is Free Thinking Becoming Fatal in Bangladesh?
A young man named Oyasiqur Rahman Babu was killed in Bangladesh by religious fanatics in the second such incident in a month's time.
News and Search Websites Blocked in Yemen as Conflict Escalates
Several websites, some of which include content critical of the Houthi takeover in Yemen, have been blocked by Yemen's largest ISP.
Netizen Report: Are France’s Human Rights Commitments Crumbling Post-Charlie?
France ups the ante with more anti-terror measures, GreatFire.org suffers and massive DDoS attack, and India welcomes good news for free expression, for once.
India's Supreme Court Axes Online Censorship Law, But Challenges Remain
People in India are cheering after the Indian Supreme Court struck down IT Act Section 66A, calling it a violation of free expression.
Chinese Artist Recounts Being Censored for Selling Ai Weiwei T-Shirt
Artist Wu Tun saw economic rights collide with online censorship when he tried to sell a T-shirt supporting world renowned political artist Ai Weiwei.
Vietnamese Photojournalist Continues Hunger Strike After Four Years Behind Bars
In addition to the lengthy prison sentence and subsequent house arrest, Minh Man has faced increasingly unfair and discriminatory treatment in detention.
Vietnam: Communist Party Leaders Struggle Over Social Media
Vietnam's Decree 72 prohibiting "aggregation" of online news prompted fury from foreign media and free speech organizations, but did Vietnamese Facebookers change their ways? Not one bit.
#Pyrawebs: Online Activism Against Metadata Retention Bill in Paraguay
Paraguay is a democracy today, but a new data retention bill is reminding many citizens of the country's late twentieth-century dictatorship.
A Dialogue About Communication — Not Political Change — in Iran
Iran Internet experts gather to talk about how Iranians can easily access information communication technologies that connect Iranians to each other, and to the rest of the world.
Roscomnadzor Threatens Complete Block of RuNet Encyclopedia
Russian telecom watchdog Roscomnadzor wants to block pages about "drugs and child porn" on RuNet culture encyclopedia Lurkmore.ru, but will instead block the entire website, because it uses https encryption.
Singapore Blogger Who Criticized Court Case of Anti-Gay Sex Law Fined for ‘Scandalizing the Judiciary’
"The prosecution of Alex Au for speaking out is just one more example of Singapore’s willingness to misuse law to gag its critics."
Blogger Law Violations Go Unpunished in Russia
Since the infamous 'blogger law' came into power in Russia seven months ago, Roscomnadzor documented 67 violations, but not a single blogger has been punished for swearing or religious offenses.
Macedonia’s Massive Illegal Wiretapping Operation Allegedly Monitored Journalists and Diplomats
As a 4-year-long wiretapping scandal unravels in Macedonia, online users draw attention to the lack of media coverage and the history of the characters behind the story.
Netizen Report: China Continues to Crack Down on Virtual Private Networks
This week's report begins in China, where the government continues its crackdown on the use of virtual private networks by blocking Avast.com, a free anti-virus and anti-spyware protection software.
Did a Brazilian Judge Try to Use Marco Civil to Shut Down WhatsApp Across the Country?
WhatsApp kept working normally in Brazil, but the judge's decision, which was apparently based on provisions in the Marco Civil bill, went viral.
