Stories about Threatened Voices
Infrastructural content moderation: the case of Mariupol
In addition to the obvious humanitarian consequences that internet shutdowns in a war zone bring, infrastructural content moderation is a potent and dangerous approach to spreading disinformation.
Rights organization OVD-Info gives an overview of repression in Russia in 2022
In 2022 in Russia, there were more than 21,000 arrests and at least 370 defendants in criminal cases for anti-war statements and speeches. More than 200,000 Internet resources have been blocked including 11 sentences in cases of state treason.
Eight months of ‘fakes’ and ‘discreditation’: How the Kremlin’s new laws against anti-war dissent are applied online
Censorship and political repression are not new to Russia, but, in 2022, they reached new heights. Alongside new digital tools, new legislation allows the state to expedite and industrialise the repression of dissidents.
An estate under siege: How the press in Zimbabwe is being gagged
Journalists are caught up in the crosshairs of a strategic battle to churn out narratives acceptable to either the state or opposition parties.
New colonization in Russia’s Arctic threatens indigenous rights
Pressure is growing on indigenous activists from Russia’s north, Siberia, and far east, even though the groups are almost totally uninvolved in politics in the literal sense.
Netizen Report: Journalists are under fire from Cambodia to Cuba — and beyond
Across the globe, journalists are facin charges of everything from espionage to tax evasion.
Netizen Report: Amid WhatsApp attacks, advocates launch legal challenge against Israeli malware maker
Spyware makers exploit a security flaw in WhatsApp, Singapore bans false information and Somalia plans to shut down social media during school exams.
Is Stella Nyanzi ‘weaponizing the vagina'? Ugandan feminist goes to court in free speech case
On her quest for good governance, Stella Nyanza is "unflinching in her criticism of the Ugandan government" and unafraid to tackle taboos around sex, gender and LGBT rights.
Mauritanian blogger escaped the death penalty, but remains behind bars
Ould Mkhaitir was prosecuted for writing an article in which he criticised the role of religion in Mauritania’s caste system.
Mozambican journalists are released pending trial, after months in detention
Amade Abubacar and Germano Adriano were in detention since January, but were only formally charged on 16 April. Now they must await trial on probation.
Jailed Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor's life is at risk, after six weeks on hunger strike
Mansoor was awarded the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2015. He has been jailed multiple times since 2011.
Netizen Report: Saudi Arabian authorities arrest three bloggers and execute 37 prisoners, several of them protesters
Saudi Arabia's assault on free speech continues, Careem might be sharing your number with drivers, and the internet is still shutdown in Chad.
Jailed UAE activist Ahmed Mansoor continues hunger strike
Mansoor is serving ten years in jail after a court convicted him of publishing false information and rumours on social media.
Mauritanian bloggers face defamation charges for reporting on corruption
The public prosecution accuses the two bloggers of spreading what it deemed were "false" reports of corruption allegations against the Mauritanian President.
#WelcomeHomeAlaa: Egyptian revolution activist Alaa Abd El Fattah released after five years in prison
Alaa was a leading voice among Egyptian bloggers and technology activists in Cairo approaching and during the Egyptian Revolution.
Netizen Report: Activists in Pakistan and Malaysia confront online backlash after International Women’s Day events
This week, the EU parliament approved its Copyright Directive, Pakistan blocked mobile services (during a military parade) and Bangladesh blocked Al Jazeera English.
Facebook comment about throwing an egg at Singapore minister triggers police probe
"To be honest, I don't feel much regret. I feel it's a matter of freedom of speech, and that we have a right to voice such opinions."
Two years after completing his sentence, Emirati activist Osama al-Najjar remains in detention
Al-Najjar was arrested over tweets calling for the release of prisoners of conscience in the Emirates.
Russian journalist forced to resign for Telegram channel critical of St. Petersburg authorities
Journalist Maria Karpenko says her editor confronted her about co-running a Telegram channel critical of St. Petersburg authorities.
#FreeSerikjan and the long shadow of Xinjiang's camps in neighbouring Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's government is nervous about what Seikjan Bilash is doing, and will happen if his popularity grows.
