Stories about Legal Threats from July, 2013
#FreeSafy – Bahrain Arrests Blogger in Dawn Raid
Bahraini blogger Mohammed Hassan was arrested at dawn today. His telephone and computer were confiscated. Netizens are calling for his release.
Another Journalist Arrested in Zambia
After Wilson Pondamali was arrested and his home searched by police, users reported that independent news site the Zambian Watchdog was inaccessible within Zambia.
Snowden Airport Saga Polarizes Russian Human Rights Community
Human rights defenders in Russia are divided over Edward Snowden and the Kremlin's treatment of the former NSA subcontractor who remains in jurisdictional limbo at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
Journalist Charged With Sedition in Zambia
Zambian journalist Thomas Zgambo was arrested and charged with sedition on Tuesday. Another journalist, Clayson Hamasaka, was arrested but released without charges. Advocates suspect that both events were triggered by the journalists' association with the Zambian Watchdog, an independent citizen media outlet that has faced numerous threats from government officials in the past.
Online and Off, Information Control Persists in Turkey
Government efforts to stifle unrest in Turkey in recent weeks has stretched beyond episodes of physical violence and police brutality into the digital world, where information control and media intimidation are on the rise.
Advocates Keep Spotlight on Le Quoc Quan
The trial of Le Quoc Quan, one of Vietnam’s most active human rights defenders and an outspoken blogger, has been postponed by the Vietnamese government without explanation. The blogger has been held in prison without trial and with little ability to see or speak to his lawyer for over six months. Quan's prosecution fits into a wider pattern of oppression of free speech in Vietnam.
Why Would Edward Snowden Want to Go to Ecuador?
The future of Edward Snowden is uncertain. The young American is reportedly sheltered in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, and he has requested asylum from 20 countries. Although it remains unknown where he will go from here, many wonder: Why might Snowden want to go to a country like Ecuador, where restrictions on press freedom appear to be on the rise?