· November, 2009

Stories about Legal Threats from November, 2009

Russia: Tatarstan Blogger Sentenced to Almost 2 Years in Penal Colony

  27 November 2009

On Nov. 26, the Kirov district court of Kazan, which is the capital of the Republic of Tartastan, convicted Irek Murtazin, a 45-year-old journalist and blogger, of defamation and incitement to hatred, reports Gazeta.ru [RUS]. The court sentenced Murtazin to one year and nine months of imprisonment in a penal...

Thailand’s new tsunami of political repression – SET them FREE!

  12 November 2009

Politicians can be so entertaining. Sometimes we laugh so hard we cry. Of course, the posturing and bluster of politicians always leads to the truth being forgotten as they try to distance themselves from any issue which could interfere with their position at the public trough. We’re still trying to...

Azerbaijan: Bloggers sentenced

  11 November 2009

As many of their supporters feared, and on the same day as a round table on the case against two detained video blogging youth activists, a court in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier passed sentence on Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli. The verdict and first reaction spread on Twitter.   Media Helping...

Azerbaijan: Blogger trial continues

  8 November 2009

In the same week that Threatened Voices, an online project to map bloggers under attack worldwide was launched, the continuing trial of detained video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli in Baku, Azerbaijan. The last court hearing was adjourned because witnesses did not turn up.

Cuba: Yoani Sanchez & Other Bloggers Seized

  8 November 2009

Yoaní Sánchez, Cuba's most famous blogger, who has received countless international awards for her activism, was detained briefly and beaten by Cuban authorities on November 6, along with fellow bloggers, Claudia Cadelo (a Global Voices contributor) and Orlando Luís Pardo Lazo. Bloggers make their feelings known about the incident.

Tunisia: blogger Fatma Riahi arrested and could face criminal libel charge

  6 November 2009

update 1: November 6th, 2009 – Lawyer Ben Debba said fatma has been transferred to Bouchoucha police station and might be summoned to appear before a public prosecutor. update 2: November 7th, 2009 – Lawyer Ben Debba said that fatma has been released. On Monday, November 2nd, 2009, Tunisian blogger...

Butler University drops lawsuit against student

  3 November 2009

Butler University has dropped lawsuit against Jess Zimmerman. The student was accused of defaming the university in his blog “TrueBU”. Indiana Daily Student says “He (Zimmerman) was critical of Butler and two administrators: Peter Alexander, dean of Butler’s College of Fine Arts, and Jamie Comstock, Butler’s provost. He wrote things...

Introducing Threatened Voices

  3 November 2009

Today, Global Voices Advocacy is launching a new website called Threatened Voices to help track suppression of free speech online. It features a world map and an interactive timeline that help visualize the story of threats and arrests against bloggers worldwide, and it is a central platform to gather information from the most dedicated organisations and activists.