Stories about Law from December, 2015
Russian Blogger Gets Five-Year Prison Term for ‘Inciting Hate’ Online
Vadim Tyumentsev, a Russian blogger from Tomsk, has been charged with hate speech and calls to extremism online and has received a five-year sentence for videos on YouTube and VKontakte.
Roscomnadzor Head Claims Google and Apple Are ‘Relocating Servers’ to Russia
Aleksandr Zharov, head of the Russian media watchdog, told journalists Google and Apple were "working on localizing their databases on Russian territory," but said the information was "unofficial."
Russian Activist Gets Two-Year Sentence for ‘Calls to Extremism’ on Social Networks
A Russian court has found activist Darya Polyudova guilty of "public calls to separatism and extremism" on social networks and has sentenced her to two years in a penal colony.
As Russia Insulates Itself from Human Rights Bodies, State Surveillance Decision Looms
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of a free expression advocate's case against Russian government surveillance. But thanks to a new law, Russia officially does not care.
WhatsApp is Back on in Brazil. But Why Was it Blocked in the First Place?
The judge who issued the order based her decision on a provision of Marco Civil, Brazil's so-called "Bill of Rights" for the Internet.
China's 2nd World Internet Conference Will Focus on ‘Rule of Law’, But Not Free Expression
"These conferences have had no credibility ever since the first one, whose real aim was to ensure that Internet companies wanting to operate in China fall into line."
Nigerian Lawmakers May Criminalize ‘Abusive’ and Anti-Government Messages Online
Nigeria's social media landscape is poised for dramatic changes, if lawmakers get their way with a new bill that would make it possible to sentence Internet bullies to prison time.
Netizen Report: Pro-Government Hackers and Constitutional Amendment Put Free Speech Under Fire in Ecuador
Facebook is back on in Bangladesh, Venezuela sees big changes (and Internet outages) on Election Day and Kazakhstan plans to spy on everyone.
Saudi Arabia Sentences Poet to Death and Threatens to Sue Critics of Penal System
The sentence was criticised far and wide with many taking to social media, comparing Saudi Arabia's penal code and punishments to that executed by ISIS.
Bangladesh Keeps Blocking Social Media, Threatens New Surveillance Tactics
With the lack of accountability shown by the government, a move towards more stringent controls of the Internet is worrying for the state of free expression in the country.
