Stories about Human Rights from June, 2015
Learning About Lantern's Anti-Censorship Tools
GV Advox team members spoke with Adam Fisk, the founder and software developer behind Lantern, and Maryam Abolfazli, the Chief Operating Officer behind Lantern to learn more about their tools.
Jailed in Singapore For Criticizing a Former Prime Minister, But Still Blogging
"Everyday my cellmates would eagerly wait for that light to dissipate, knowing that another day has passed, and they’re one day closer to attaining their freedom."
Abel Wabela: “To Fight Bystander Apathy…This is My Mission as a Human”
"Warnings, intimidations, arrest and torture have not stopped me from exercising my free speech rights," says Abel Wabela, one of Ethiopia's Zone9 bloggers who have been jailed since April 2014.
Arrested for Criticizing a Former Prime Minister, Singaporean Teen Blogger Amos Yee is Now Being Evaluated for Autism
Amos Yee was arrested last March after he uploaded a YouTube video criticizing Lee Kuan Yew. After several rounds of court hearings, authorities have decided to evaluate Yee for autism.
Social Media Analysis: How an Iranian Kurdish Woman's Death Triggered a Regional Social Media Conflict
Social media controversy following the accidental death of a hotel chambermaid underscored systemic discrimination ethnic minorities face in Iran and the emerging role of Internet censorship in this milieu.
An Official White House Visit to Ethiopia? Africans Tell Obama ‘Don't Do It!’
Despite recent elections that swept the one opposition member from parliament, US President Barack Obama is planning a visit to Ethiopia.
Digital Citizen 3.2
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World.
Police Shootings, Helicopter Crashes, and Bystanders with Cameras: Weighing the Rights of “Accidental Journalists”
The rise in eye-witness documentation of police violence in the United States raises many interesting questions about the rights of witnesses and the public interest value of their work.
How a Facebook User in Thailand Was Sentenced to 50 Years in Jail for ‘Defaming’ the Monarchy
"How can they arrest Father? Father didn’t kill anybody; the judgment is excessive."
Long After the African Union’s Golden Jubilee: A Letter to Jailed Blogger Natnael Feleke
"I think of your particular fate and wonder how any of us who are free continue to go about our lives as if there’s nothing to lose."
Singaporean Teenage Video Blogger Sent to ‘Rehabilitation’ For Offensive YouTube Video
According to Amnesty International, the 16-year old Amos Yee is the youngest prisoner of conscience in the world today.
Kenyan Blogger Bogonko Bosire is Still Missing, Nearly Two Years After His Disappearance
Controversial Kenyan blogger Bogonko Bosire went missing two years ago. Kenyans have revived his search with the hashtag #WhereIsBogonkoBosire.
Arbitrary Arrests, Cybercrime, and Mass Mobile Adoption: Monitoring Digital Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa
Global Voices speaks to Tom Rhodes, the East Africa representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, about the state of freedom of expression online in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Former TV Producer Mostafa Azizi Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison in Iran
Azizi, who had left for Canada, was arrested when he returned to be near his ailing father. He was convicted of “assembly and collusion against national security,” among other charges.
Pakistani Digital Rights Advocate Nominated as TIME's Next Generation Leader
'If youth is speaking for a cause, they have the ability to bring change. They only have to be consistent.'
Hong Kong Social Media Activists Under Fire as Key Electoral Policy Vote Approaches
Local legal experts suspect that authorities are exploiting Hong Kong's cybercrime laws in an effort to suppress political speech online.
Digital Citizen 3.1
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World.
Monitoring Mexico's Midterm Elections with #BreakTheFear
During last Sunday's elections in Mexico, the free-speech organization ARTICLE 19 ran a campaign called #RompeElMiedo (#BreakTheFear) to monitor the safety of journalists and human rights activists
Befeqadu Hailu: An Ethiopian Writer Who Refused to Remain Silent
In the words of Wole Soyinka, “books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.” Befequadu is in jail because he writes.
‘Writing Code Is Not a Crime': Jailed Iranian Web Developer Saeed Malekpour Turns 40
"It is not justice to keep a talented software engineer in jail just because the software he developed was used by others for reasons deemed illegal by the Iranian government."
