On 24 April, Chinese petitioner Hu Lianyou was sentenced to two years in prison for defamation after comments made about a local police chief online, according to Chinese state media. Hu allegedly wrote posts on popular websites accusing two...
CATEGORY: Asia and Pacific
Malaysia: The death of civil liberties
Thousands of Malaysians plan to demonstrate in favour of electoral reform this week despite a government crackdown. But the country’s new security laws are set to make political dissent and free speech even more difficult, says Malik Imtiaz Sarwar
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng escapes house arrest
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has reportedly fled to Beijing after a year and a half under house arrest. Chen is one of China's best-known human rights activist, famous for his campaign against forced abortions. The blind lawyer spent four...
Ai Wei Wei’s arrest changed China’s political landscape
The artist Ai Weiwei’s outspoken views are gaining currency. Simon Kirbyreflects on a change of mood in China as people lose faith in the Party
India: University professor arrested over anti-Mamata cartoons
A university protester has been arrested for allegedly spreading derogatory cartoons against "respectable persons" in India. Ambikesh Mahapatra, a chemistry professor at Jadavpur University in Bengal, was arrested on Friday (13 April) for...
Vietnam: New online censorship rules drafted
Google, Facebook, and other internet companies may be required cooperate with Vietnamese authorities in removing content from their sites, based on draft regulations that have been released by the Ministry of Information. Foreign businesses...
Pakistan web users force government backtrack on internet filtering
The past few months have seen the rise of a vocal and sophisticated anti-censorship campaign in Pakistan that has effectively shamed the government into shelving its plans for a national internet filtering system. The Pakistan government's ICT...
Malaysia: “Cartoon-o-phobia” case against government, police, continues
The case of a political cartoonist who was arrested and detained in 2010, and took the government to court as a result, continued last week. Malaysian cartoonist Zulkiflee Awar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, lodged his complaint of unlawful detention...
India: BlackBerry snooping system underway
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has given Indian security forces access to private instant messages. The move follows the setting up of a BlackBerry service centre in Mumbai last February, with official sources reporting that the...
China cuts nude Kate Winslet from 3D Titanic release
Like the rest of the world, China’s gone Titanic crazy again. The 3D version of James Cameron’s Titanic hit cinemas here today but Chinese theatre-goers excited about the chance to see Kate Winslet’s nude scene in glorious 3D will be disappointed....
