Stories about Human Rights from August, 2014
Activist Blogger in Vietnam Gets 3 Years Behind Bars for ‘Obstructing Traffic’
A court has sentenced a prominent Vietnamese activist blogger to three years in prison for posing a “serious obstruction to traffic.” Her two other companions will join her behind bars.
Critics Fear Bangladesh's New Media Monitoring Policy Will Stifle Free Expression
Many have raised questions about the new draft broadcasting policy of Bangladesh -- analysts say it is regressive and will control the media.
Iranian Minister Says Government ‘Never Promised’ to End Web Censorship
ICT Minister Vaezi's words contradict President Hassan Rouhani's pledge to lift bans on popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Massive Leak Opens New Investigation of FinFisher Surveillance Tools in Pakistan
Unknown hackers released 40 gigabytes of data uncovered about the use of FinFisher, the malicious digital spyware kit, in Pakistan. The Digital Rights Foundation reports on first findings.
Advocates Petition UN for Action on Jailed Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Media Legal Defence Initiative asked the UN to intervene immediately in the case of Abd El Fattah, who began a hunger strike this week.
Prominent Egyptian Activist Alaa Abdel Fattah Goes on Hunger Strike
Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah has entered an open-ended hunger strike until he is released from prison, his family said in a statement posted on Facebook today.
SMS Death Threats Stoke Fears on Fate of Abducted Journalist in Maldives
The messages came just before the unexplained disappearance of journalist and democracy advocate Ahmed Rizwan Abdulla.
Freedom of Information Dealt A Blow in Mexico: IFAI Won't Challenge Telecom Law
Disappointment and frustration prevail as the IFAI's decision leaves Mexico's citizens defenseless against the country's crucial new telecom law.
Journalist and Democracy Advocate Ahmed Rizwan Abdulla Missing in the Maldives
The prolific social media user is vocal against hatred in the name of religion and has not been shy about criticizing the Maldives Islamist Adhaalath Party and other political parties.
Iran Vows to Block All “Unlicensed” Websites
On the day to recognize journalists, Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced that all news websites must henceforth obtain a state license -- or face automatic censorship.
Human Rights Experts: Pakistan Could Become a “Police State” Under Protection Ordinance
If implemented in its current form, the consequences of Pakistan's "Protection Ordinance" on citizens’ rights will be far reaching, both on and offline.
Iran's Internet Users Outsmart Government in Cat-and-Mouse Censorship Game
The Iranian government periodically releases new filtering rules intended to block Tor traffic, to which the Tor community typically responds with a same-day antidote for the block.
Web We Want Festival Will be Globally Crowdsourced: Get Involved!
We’re asking you -- community groups, neighbors and strangers, techies and technophobes, old and young, urban and rural people -- to make the Web We Want Festival your own.
Leaked Data Suggests Bahrain's Government Hacked Its Own Fact-Finding Commission
The government's crackdown against a popular uprising spurred the creation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Investigation -- new data suggests that the government is spying on the Commission.
“From the [Four] Compass Points of the Earth Arises a Mighty Cry — #FreeZone9Bloggers!”
From Hong Kong to Islamabad to Cairo to San Francisco, allies across the globe tweeted their support for Ethiopia's Zone9 bloggers, who have been in prison for 102 days.