Stories about Free Expression from April, 2019
Jailed Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor's life is at risk, after six weeks on hunger strike
Mansoor was awarded the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2015. He has been jailed multiple times since 2011.
Netizen Report: Saudi Arabian authorities arrest three bloggers and execute 37 prisoners, several of them protesters
Saudi Arabia's assault on free speech continues, Careem might be sharing your number with drivers, and the internet is still shutdown in Chad.
Leica's promo video referencing Tiananmen Square massacre went viral on Chinese social media. Then, it disappeared.
For days, users were forbidden from writing the words "Leica" in English and "徕卡" in Chinese on Weibo.
India bans China's TikTok for “degrading culture and encouraging pornography”
People in India have been banned from downloading TikTok, a hugely popular quick video-sharing app based in China.
Netizen Report: If protecting your privacy is ‘part of a conspiracy,’ then we’re all in big trouble
Digital privacy tools draw suspicion in the US and Ecuador, India tackles Tiktok, and a Chinese man learns that facial recognition works -- even while you’re sleeping.
Jailed UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor continues hunger strike
Mansoor is serving ten years in jail after a court convicted him of publishing false information and rumours on social media.
Free by day, jailed by night: Egyptian activists speak out against conditional release
Activists, who have recently been released from prison, only enjoy freedom from 6am to 6pm.
Censored on WeChat: How a fatal bus accident in Chongqing symbolized China's ‘left turn’
Many people saw the bus accident, the result of a fight onboard, as an allegory of China's political turn in recent years.
Rumors of Russia's first ‘fake news’ case against a media outlet might just be fake news
Media were quick to suggest that a bogus yoga ban story could be the first victim of the Russia's 'fake news' law.
Censored on WeChat: Revelations of toxic ingredients in Hongmao medicinal liquor
Tan Qindong was arrested after revealing the presence of toxic herbs in a popular medicinal liquor. Posts about his ordeal were censored on WeChat.
Morocco’s Hirak movement has gone quiet, but the crackdown on independent media continues
The movement triggered a backlash for independent journalists and people who wanted to document the protests and ensuing crackdown.
Netizen Report: As water levels rise, Iran’s ban on messaging apps is slowing emergency relief for flood victims
Iranians ask for censorship pause in face of fatal floods, Indians suspect Facebook of election meddling and Australia tries to ban violent videos.
Animated film explains how Myanmar's Telecommunications Law undermines free speech
"The law is frequently used by the powerful to silence dissent, and with more than 100 cases filed, its chilling effect on free expression is widespread."
Mauritanian bloggers face defamation charges for reporting on corruption
The public prosecution accuses the two bloggers of spreading what it deemed were "false" reports of corruption allegations against the Mauritanian President.
How pro-government media in Morocco use “fake news” to target and silence Rif activists
While the internet can provide a platform for marginalized voices, it can also facilitate their victimization.
Government official says the ban on messaging apps is slowing flood relief in Iran
"In situations where sharing information is vital, censorship can turn into a deadly phenomenon."
