Stories about Threatened Voices from July, 2015
German Digital Rights Pioneers Investigated for Treason
The last time a German journalist was charged with treason was in 1962, when the editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel was prosecuted for publishing secret documents about the German defense forces.
Netizen Report: You Can’t Encrypt, But We Can Spy
"...the revelations have touched a nerve with certain Global Voices community members who are now virtually certain that their own communications devices were infected and monitored using Hacking Team spyware."
What You Need to Know About Ethiopia v. Zone9 Bloggers: Verdict Expected July 20
Ethiopia's Zone9 bloggers have appeared in court 30 times in 15 months, and been adjourned each time. "This is no anomaly in Ethiopia’s highly compromised judiciary system," says Endalk Chala.
Netizen Report: Leaked Documents Reveal Egregious Abuse of Power by Venezuela in Twitter Arrests
China moves to "legalize" the Great Firewall, Telegram gets DDoSed, and Russia passes its own Right to Be Forgotten, plus more highlights from the Hacking Team hack.
Australian Artist Jailed in UAE For Posting “Bad Words” on Facebook
An Australian artist found herself thrown into an Abu Dhabi prison and deported for posting a photograph of a car blocking a disabled parking spot.
In Sweeping Effort to Spy on Civil Society, Macedonia Broke Its Own Privacy Laws
"When such a government wiretaps you, it means that you are on the right track," says NGO worker Xhabir Deralla.
Bahrain Releases Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab, Only to Send Another Activist Back to Jail
Bahrain released from prison rights activist Nabeel Rajab, and then renewed the detention of political leader Ibrahim Sharif for 15 days. Is the government playing chess with political dissidents?
Serbian Authorities Take Control of A Man's Facebook Account Following Alleged Threats Against PM Vucic
Police in Serbia seem to have overstepped boundaries in search and seizure proceedings, taking over a personal Facebook account without a court order.
Ethiopians React to Bloggers’ Release With Compassion, Criticism
Supporters of the Zone9 blogging collective are expressing both joy and bitterness at the release of some -- but not all -- of the bloggers from prison last week.
Bangladesh Activists Have Little Faith in Blogger Murder Investigations
"They are [attacking] bloggers because the Internet penetration is still low in the country and they want to silence freedom of speech that exposes their narratives and political message."
ISIS Hacks Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Website and Threatens its Director
The ISIS cyber army allegedly threatened Observatory director Rami Abdelrahman for his role in documenting human rights abuses committed by all parties in the ongoing war in Syria.
Netizen Report: Ethiopians Demand Release of All Jailed Journalists Approaching Obama Visit
As five of the Ethiopia's Zone9 bloggers walk free, with four still in prison, Venezuela blames Internet outages on protesters and Arab activists respond to the Hacking Team hack.
Five Ethiopian Journalists Freed From Prison, But Others Remain Behind Bars
Alongside an outpouring of joy and disbelief over the bloggers' release, supporters urged each other to keep "tantrummin" until there are no more journalists jailed in Ethiopia.
For Arab Human Rights Defenders, Hacking Team Files Confirm Suspicions of State Surveillance
"Rights groups knew Egypt using Hacking Team spyware since 2012; Sunday's hack just proved it," says Egyptian activist Ramy Raoof.
Edom Kassaye: An Ethiopian Journalist Jailed for Her Integrity
"I believe it was Edom’s willingness to bring about change in Ethiopia’s polarized political environment that suggested an affinity between her and the Zone9 blogging collective. We shared common principles."
Netizen Report: Scholars in Colombia, Kazakhstan Face Legal Challenges for Sharing Research
As academic freedoms wane from Kazakhstan to Colombia, a Dutch court goes after Facebook, and the tech industry says cheerio to the UK.
