Stories about Human Rights from April, 2014
Six Members of Blogging Collective Arrested in Ethiopia
Allies report that the six young writers, all members of the Zone Nine blogging collective, are being held at Maekelawi detention center in Addis Ababa.
Journalists Face Trial in Thailand for Quoting Reuters’ Report on Human Trafficking
Two reporters in Thailand are facing a defamation suit filed by the Royal Thai Navy after they quoted a Pulitzer-winning Reuters story about official involvement in trafficking Rohingya refugees.
Algeria's Opposition Report Threats, Intimidation Following President's Reelection
Government opposition groups say authorities are posting their personal information and contact details -- and even issuing death threats -- on social media.
GV Face: Live from the Internet World Cup
Do we have a new roadmap for global internet governance? This week's hangout is from the Net Mundial conference in São Paulo, Brazil.
NETmundial Closes With Thorny Issues Left Unaddressed
Reporting from Sao Paulo, Sarah Myers writes that for members of civil society, "the outcome was less a step forward for online rights than many had hoped."
#NETmundial2014: Does the Web Need a Magna Carta?
An all-star panel including Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, musician and former Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, and Web We Want campaign lead Renata Avila discusses human rights and the Internet.
Can the NETmundial Grow Teeth?
The NETmundial is a one-off event, with no legal framework to hold anyone accountable to its outcomes -- so what exactly are we all doing here?
#NETmundial2014: Activists Scrutinize Brazil's New “Bill of Rights” for the Internet
Brazil's landmark rights-protective Internet bill has now become law -- yet some activists feel that human rights protections have become diluted in the current text.
Brazil Scores Before “the Internet World Cup” Begins: Marco Civil Approved by the Senate
Last night, Brazil's Senate approved the landmark Marco Civil law, just hours before the start of the highly anticipated Internet governance meeting, the NETmundial.
Myanmar Media Workers Protest Persecution With “Blackout”
Myanmar newspapers blacked-out their front pages to protest the jailing of journalists. Last week, journalist Zaw Pe was sentenced to one year in prison for "disrupting the work of a government official."
#FreeCiaxon: Detained Nigerian Twitter User Released
Yusuf Siyaka Onimisi was detained shortly after he posted a series of photos and eyewitness reports on an escape attempt by several members of the northern Nigeria-based Boko Haram.
Cambodia’s Cyber Bill Undermines Internet Freedom From Every Angle
Cambodian netizens and human rights groups are speaking out against the government’s anti-cybercrime bill, which could lead to harsh penalties for online criticism, stricter Internet regulation, and social media censorship.
Law 140: Eavesdropping on Lebanon
Lebanon’s Surveillance Law guarantees the right to privacy across all means of electronic communication -- unfortunately, authorities violate this law on a regular basis.
#FreeCiaxon: Nigerian Netizen Missing After Reporting on Deadly Clashes
@Ciaxon was allegedly detained after tweeting his eyewitness account of a shootout between Boko Haram terrorism suspects and state security that left 20 dead.
Zambia Will Draft Internet Law to Control “Gossiping” Media
Information Minister Joseph Katema derided the current media environment, claiming that Zambians are "starved of credible information" due to the media's focus on "spreading falsehoods."
Spies Like US: “Fake Twitter” Violated Cubans’ Privacy Rights
ZunZuneo not only obtained mobile phone numbers for half a million Cubans without their knowledge or consent -- it also observed and analyzed (read: surveilled) their communications for "political tendencies."
Teenage Bloggers in Bangladesh Arrested For ‘Blasphemous’ Facebook Posts
Fellow bloggers have accused an Islamist student organization of distributing false propaganda that rallied a mob against the two bloggers and led to their arrest.
