Stories about Free Expression from August, 2021
Employees of Hungarian-owned TV in North Macedonia conduct partial strike over unpaid salaries
Since 2018, money funneled through Hungarian companies have bolstered media peddling populist propaganda in Slovenia and North Macedonia.
Little chance of justice for Colombia's murdered journalists
Only one out of 161 murders of journalists resulted in a conviction of all perpetrators.
Facebook user gets 18 months in prison for mocking Cambodia’s prime minister
"This verdict is a message that makes those who have constructive ideas or criticisms in relation to social issues be fearful and hesitant and will limit their freedom of expression."
Russian court issues bigger fines to social media companies for breaching data localization rules
The data localization law, adopted in 2015, requires all internet companies processing Russian users' data to store such data on servers physically located inside Russia.
The evil of banal censorship
Images of peaceful protesters do not fit the narrative that continues to portray the protesters as violent, irrational and emotional.
Blogger gets prison sentence for branding Kazakhstan's language policies “russophobic”
According to Taichimbekov, the Kazakh state has been "sourcing Russian individuals who speak out in favor of banning Russian television, banning Russian language, excluding it from the Constitution."
More independent media added to Russia's “foreign agent” roster
"As for the list of foreign agents, by now it has so many decent people and publications on it that not to be on this list is simply indecent."
Belarus court labels independent media outlets Tut.by, Zerkalo.io as ‘extremist’
The ruling applies to every single piece of content on the Tut.by and Zerkalo.io websites, as well as to all content posted on their social media channels.
After writing about police killings, editor of The Intercept Brazil is made target of investigation
The journalist sent out a newsletter with a text that focused was on the police's actions, which resulted in at least 41 homicides in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
‘I demand 100 percent freedom’ — Hong Kong political artist leaves for Taiwan citing crackdown
Wong sought to push the boundaries of art as a means of political dissent on the streets and was a regular attendee at the annual July 1 pro-democracy rallies.
Georgian State Security Service accused of mass-surveillance of public figures
The Georgian State Security Service (SSG) has been spying on journalists, opposition and ruling party politicians, activists, priests, businesspeople, and other public figures, according to leaked documents.
