Stories about Feature from February, 2012
Netizen Report: Combat Edition
Most of this report was researched, written, and edited by Weiping Li, Mera Szendro Bok, and Sarah Myers. The past two weeks have been highly tumultuous for Internet activists around...
Syria: Razan Ghazzawi and Female Colleagues Freed
Syrian Blogger and Freedom of Speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi, who was arrested for the second time earlier this week, was released on Saturday along with her female colleagues. Her male colleagues from the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus remain in detention.
Syria: Razan Ghazzawi Arrested… Again
Syrian security forces have arrested blogger and free speech advocate Razan Ghazzawi along with her collegues at the Syrian Center for Freedom of Expression in Damascus. This is the second time Razan Ghazzawi is arrested. The news caused disbelief among netizens who were very quick to react.
Morocco: Student Jailed For Insulting King In Video
A 24 year-old Moroccan student, Abdelsamad Haydour, was sentenced to 3 years in jail for criticizing the king of Morocco in a video posted on YouTube. The news of the sentence provoked strong reactions on social networks.
Global Voices Partners with Electronic Frontier Foundation on “Bloggers Under Fire”
In 2009, Global Voices launched Threatened Voices, an innovative project to track threats to bloggers and netizens worldwide. At the time, Threatened Voices filled a void in coverage, during a...
Iran: Journalists Threatened by Email “You Will be Punished”
Several Iranian activists and journalists have received an email threatening that they will be punished according to the “Islamic Punishment” law of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
China: Activist's Wife and Son Harassed Online
An anonymous Twitter user has disclosed Wen Yunchao, his wife and son's personal information online. Wen is an outspoken blogger and free speech activist on the Chinese Internet and has...
China: Chinese Communist Party Plans To Lead Microblogging Platform
In China, all conventional media outlets are under the direct leadership of Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A CCP secretary is planted in every media organization to oversee the content and...
Morocco: Busted for Posting Caricatures of the King on Facebook
On February 7, 2012, Walid Bahomane appeared before a court in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The 18-year-old is accused of “defaming Morocco's sacred values” by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking king Mohammed VI of Morocco.
Netizen Report: Which Way Ahead?
In the past few weeks, we have witnessed how Internet companies - the sovereigns of cyberspace - struggle with the conflict between market demands for global expansion and the demands of their users for freedom of expression online. In this edition of our twice-monthly report on developments affecting the freedom of netizens around the world, we report on new censorship policies at Twitter and Google, privacy developments, new legislation, netizen activism against the ACTA trade agreement, efforts by bloggers and activists around the world to fight repression, and much more.
China: Censoring Opinions on China's veto on UN resolution on Syria
Even though the People's Daily propagated [zh] that “China’s veto was in accordance with the Syrian people’s basic interests”, Chinese concern citizens have not been misled by the official media...
Iran: Innovations in Cyber Dictatorship
In the latest examples creative repression over the internet, the Islamic regime has used Skype as a long-distance interrogation tool, and wrested control over a Facebook group for photos of hot guys and girls from its administrators.
Oman: Blogger Muawiya Alrawahi Detained
It has been reported on Twitter that outspoken Omani blogger Muawiya Alrawahi, known for his controversial ideas, has been detained because of a blog post and some tweets in which he criticised Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman.
Kuwait: Ahmad Mansoor, a UAE blogger denied entry
Ahmad Mansoor, UAE's most famous blogger who was detained last year for several months with four other activists for signing an online petition calling for reforms in his country, was...
China: Several Tibetan Language Blog Sites Shut Down
Against the backdrop of a stream of self-immolations in Tibet in protest against Chinese rule, unrest in eastern Tibet and a severely increased military presence, several of the most popular Tibetan language blog sites have gone offline as of today. Dechen Pembar reports.
Ethiopia: Freedom of Expression in Jeopardy
More than ten journalists have been imprisoned in Ethiopia since June 2011 and according to the Committee to Protect Journalists about 25% of exiled journalists in Africa are from Ethiopia,...
South Korea: National Security Law Muted North Korea Related Discussions
A South Korean Twitter user, Park Jeong-Geun has been arrested since January 11, 2012 for re-tweeting messages such as “Long Live General Kim Jong-Il” in Twitter. Under the curry National...
We the terrorists…?
This is how the FBI can consider everyone liking his/her online privacy. Katitza Rodrigez was depicting very finely and accurately the current state of privacy fights right before International Privacy...
New Book on Global Struggle for Internet Freedom
How do we ensure the Internet develops compatibly with democracy? And how do we become active “netizens” who take responsibility for our digital future? This is the subject of Rebecca McKinnon's new book: "Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle For Internet Freedom."
