Stories about Human Rights from February, 2015
Iran Reacts to the Latest Snowden Leak on SIM Card Hacks
Iran's Minister of Information and Communication Technologies told Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency that he urges all state employees and ordinary Iranians to rely on their landlines for most communications.
Renowned Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Still Detained After 10 Months
A human rights lawyer who has defended clients ranging from Ai Weiwei to communist party officials, Pu Zhiqiang is now facing criminal charges over his postings on Weibo.
Why John Legend Should Perform In Bahrain
On the eve of John Legend's concert in Bahrain, a former Bahraini torture victim now living in exile asks the US singer to spare a thought for the country's persecuted.
Bangladeshi-American Blogger Hacked to Death in Dhaka
Roy is the second Bangladeshi blogger killed since 2013. Horrifying photos of he and his wife, bloodied and injured on the street, were circulated on social media.
Digital Citizen 2.4
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World. Last month, a horrific attack on the Paris offices of...
The Dress Rehearsal for the Belarusian Crackdown
"Belaruskaya Pravda" chief editor Yuri Dubina says the recent crackdown in Belarus on independent online media is only "the dress rehearsal" before the presidential election this November.
Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah Sentenced to Five Years in Jail
Prominent Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah, an icon of the Egyptian revolution, was sentenced to five years in prison today.
US Government Eases Sanctions to Allow Export of Personal Communications Tools to Sudan
The US government has issued a general license amending sanctions on Sudan to allow the export of certain personal communications technologies.
Ali Abdulemam: ‘I Have Not Lost My Identity. I Am Bahraini.’
In late January, the government of Bahrain revoked the citizenship of blogger Ali Abdulemam, along with that of 71 other Bahrainis, many of them journalists and activists.
Your Mobile Privacy is Under Threat Because of US and UK Spies
"The NSA and GCHQ covertly stole millions of encryption keys used to protect your mobile phone communications."
Advocates Petition UN to Intervene on Jailed Ethiopian Bloggers’ Behalf
Advocates argue that the Ethiopian government's imprisonment of these individuals on spurious terror charges is arbitrary and illegal.
The Western Hemisphere's Deadliest Country for Journalists
Mexico received the second lowest ranking (after Cuba) in the Americas on the World Press Freedom Index for in 2014.
Wave of Arrests in France for ‘Advocating Terrorism’ After Charlie Hebdo Attack
Since the attacks last January, over 100 criminal charges have been filed for terrorism advocacy in France, occasionally against minors, oftentimes for reasons that have little to do with the true fight against terrorism.
In Putin's Russia, a Retweet Can Lead to a Jail Term
Even a retweet of an image or a republished post may cost Russian citizens unfettered access to the Internet—and often, their freedom.
Turkey Cites National Security as it Cranks Up Internet Controls
Courts offer citizens occasional protection from Ankara's vicious war on freedom of expression and privacy, so government is looking for laws that bypass them.
Who Do We Lose with Internet Censorship and Control?
"Through Internet censorship and control we lose an ability to be our own secret human – the one we are when nobody is around."
The Macedonian Government Clamps Down on Filming Protests With Drones
Drone-made videos and photos were instrumental in demonstrating the size of a recent massive student protest, which has been called the largest student protest in Macedonia since independence.
Thailand’s Digital Economy Bills Could Worsen Media Repression
Some civil society organizations are calling the draft digital economy bills “national security bills in disguise” because of their repressive provisions.
