Stories about Threatened Voices from May, 2014
Censors On, China Still Doesn't Want Anyone Talking About Tiananmen Square
Estimates of the death toll from June 4, 1989 range from a few hundred to the thousands. The Chinese government has prohibited all forms of discussion online or offline since.
The “Happy” Video That Got Six Young People Sent to Jail
Six Iranians were jailed and forced to confess on national television that they were tricked into the making of a "Happy" video in Tehran.
Moroccan Blogger and Rapper El-Haqed Arrested Again
Friends say police recognized the rapper and explicitly targeted him at a football match. Mouad Belrhouat, aka El-Haqed, has been jailed twice since 2011 for his political music and activism.
Ethiopia: Police Request More Time for Zone 9 Bloggers Investigation
Friends of Global Voices report on an emotional scene outside an Addis Ababa courtroom where Zone 9 bloggers appeared for a brief, closed hearing last week.
Tunisian Activist Azyz Amami Arrested on Drug Charges
Amami has been blogging on social and political issues in Tunisia since 2008. He has demanded an end to state surveillance and censorship in concert with Tunisia’s most influential cyberactivists.
Security Forces Detain Leader of “SOS Venezuela” Campaign
Rodrigo Diamanti is the president and founder of “Un Mundo Sin Mordaza” (A World Without the Gag), the NGO behind the campaign “SOS Venezuela” and “Your voice is your power.”
Join the #FreeZone9Bloggers Tweetathon on May 14
Join Global Voices bloggers for an Africa-wide tweetathon in support of the nine bloggers and journalists arrested in late April and currently being detained in Ethiopia.
Why Blogging is a Threat to the Ethiopian Government
"The threat embodied in Ethiopia’s bloggers, journalists and free thinkers is that they are introducing a radical new idea—the idea of a freer, more democratic country."
Azerbaijan: N!DA Activists Face 6-8 Years in Prison
As one journalist put it, members of the leading online activist group were “found guilty of being bright, intelligent, brave and honest.”
Saudi Blogger Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison, 1000 Lashes
Yesterday, a Saudi court sentenced Raif Badawi to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes for setting up a liberal website.
4 Ways You Can Join the #FreeZone9Bloggers Campaign
Join the campaign to free nine bloggers and journalists detained in Ethiopia: Write a letter, sign a statement, or organize an event in your city!
Advocates Ask African Commission, UN Experts to Intervene in Zone 9 Bloggers Case
Global Voices joins a joint appeal to the AU and UN Special Rapporteurs to help secure the immediate release of the Zone9 bloggers and declare their arrest and detention a gross violation of their human rights.