Stories about Free Expression from April, 2017
Jailed Emirati Academic Endures Hunger Strike to Protest Ten-Year Jail Sentence
"I have no choice but to go on hunger strike to restore my stolen freedom".
Taiwan Tops Asia While Hong Kong Falls Four Places in Freedom of Press Index
"A majority [of media workers in Hong Kong] have expressed an increasing pressure which results in deliberate self-censorship."
Netizen Report: Mexican Journalists Were Threatened Online, Then Killed
Kashmiris see more cuts to basic communications services, a Japanese artist gets fined for her 3D vagina art, and Thailand tells Facebookers to "unfollow" state critics.
Thailand Tells Internet Users to Unfollow Junta Critics on Social Media — Or Face Consequences
"This is a ridiculous and oppressive order but I don't want any innocent people being targeted just because they follow my journalism," wrote former Reuters journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall.
Satirical News Show ‘China Uncensored’ Censored by Apple in Hong Kong and Taiwan
"There is no point in disputing your app store decision with respect to mainland China…but Hong Kong and Taiwan [...] operate under independent legal systems."
Iraqi Journalists Face Threats From ISIS, Armed Militias and the State
"As the war intensifies, and the number of armed groups and their influence in Iraq grows, the pressure on Iraqi journalists will increase.”
In Venezuela, Activists Document Protests and Share Protection Tactics
"Human rights violations don't have a time limit...Record for the future, when there will be democracy."
After Moving Servers to Russia, LiveJournal Bans ‘Political Solicitation’
LiveJournal releases a new user agreement, revealing what steps it's taking to adjust to its new existence as a blogging platform in full compliance with Russia’s stifling Internet laws
Ecuadorian Elections Marked by Website Outages, Twitter Suspensions
Along with pro-opposition websites, some media rights groups saw a sharp decline in traffic on the evening of the election.
Criminal Case Against Indian Poet Provokes Controversy Over Speech Rights
The poem was posted on Facebook on World Poetry Day — but its verses were not welcomed by everyone.
A Brazilian Judge Demands a Blogger's Sources, Testing the Limits of Media Freedom
Judge Sergio Moro later reversed his decision, but the action highlighted the weakness of the legal protection mechanisms of citizen journalists in Brazil.
