The revelations that the United States allegedly spied on European Union diplomats marks a low in what should be a special relationship of trust between major democracies. The EU needs to remind the US that surveillance is unacceptable in the digital age.
The row was prompted by revelations published by German magazine Der Spiegel on its website this past Saturday. Relying on documents allegedly leaked by the former NSA-contractor Edward Snowden, the magazine said the NSA had surveilled EU, French, German and Italian diplomatic offices in Washington and at the UN.
Instead of reminding US authorities of the EU belief in an open and free internet, Catherine Ashton, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, focused on the specific press reports, calling them a “matter for concern”. The European Union needs to reiterate its well-established position that “global connectivity should not be accompanied by censorship or mass surveillance.”
But French president Francois Hollande demanded the US stop its activities “immediately.” Later, the BBC reported that Hollande threatened to derail US-EU trade pact negotiations over the bugging scandal.
Germany’s government summoned the US ambassador to explain his country’s actions. Steffen Seibert, spokeperson for Chancellor Merkel, said that Germany wants “trust restored. We will clearly say that bugging friends is unacceptable.”
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius demanded an explanation “as soon as possible” after labelling the alleged spying unacceptable.
Martin Schulz, president of the EU Parliament warned that the allegations, if true, would have a “severe impact on the relations between the EU and the US. He demanded a fuller account of the Der Spiegel reports.
Thomas Drake, a former NSA employee turned whistleblower, who was prosecuted under the US espionage act tweeted today that the alleged spying had “little to do with classic eavesdropping. Instead, it’s closer to a complete structural acquisition of data”.
Index CEO Kirsty Hughes said:
“As disagreement grows between the EU and the US over surveillance, Index on Censorship calls for the EU to take a lead in condemning mass surveillance – which the EU’s cyberstrategy already warns against. We are also calling on the US government to acknowledge that the mass surveillance of citizens’ private communications is unacceptable and a threat to both privacy and freedom of expression.”
The European Union Foreign Affairs Council last week released its guidelines on promoting and protecting religious freedom. The guidelines, designed to set standards for the EU’s external dealings, make, for the most part, encouraging reading, Padraig Reidy writes
The section on free expression sets out thus:
“Freedom of religion or belief and the freedom of expression are interdependent, interrelated and mutually reinforcing rights, protecting all persons — not religions or beliefs in themselves — and protecting also the right to express opinions on any or all religions and beliefs.”
The distinction made here between protecting “persons” as opposed to “religions and beliefs in themselves” is very important, boiling down to the simple notion that individuals have rights but ideologies don’t.
Further on, the guidelines suggest that the EU will recall, when appropriate, that the right to freedom of religion or belief, as enshrined in relevant international standards, does not include the right to have a religion or a belief that is free from criticism or ridicule.
As an argument against modern versions of blasphemy laws: laws which claim to “protect religious feelings”. Russia recently passed such a law, criminalising “public actions expressing clear disrespect for society and committed with the goal of offending religious feelings of the faithful”. The Organisation of Islamic Conference, meanwhile, is seeking to have “defamation of religion” recognised at United Nations level. Any EU attempt to curb this move is somewhat undermined by the fact that the OIC has copied its definition of blasphemy from Ireland’s 2009 Defamation Act.
The guidelines suggest that the EU should resist attempts to curb religious speech as long as there is not a “prima facie case that this expression constitutes hates speech”. But they do also raise the expectation that Europe should condemn any violence carried out in relation to “offensive speech”.
The European Platform on Religious Intolerance and Discrimination (EPRID) has welcomed the guidelines. In a statement, it said:
“Promoting freedom of religion or belief is therefore not only a moral or legal obligation, but also a strategic political choice. The adoption of these Guidelines today gives a strong signal that [it] is now a priority for the EU.”
AUSTRALIA Jetsetter: Australia, censorship, and the banning of ‘Saints Row IV’
Great artists will tell you on the regular that the key to making great art is to make it for yourself first, but that’s not always a realistic end point for people creating art for a living especially when you’ve got to think about the audience. Do you make something for everyone globally, or do you make something for a small group? How do you actually make something that speaks to everyone?
(Digital Trends)
BAHRAIN Bahrain Student Sentenced for Insulting King
The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) on Saturday said Ali Al Shofa was arrested in a house raid at dawn on 12 March 2013. He spent two months in jail while under investigation, Aljazeera reported.
(FARS)
CAMBODIA Cambodia drops ban on foreign-produced radio shows
Cambodia on Sunday reversed a ban on local radio stations airing foreign-produced broadcasts in the run-up to next month’s general election, following US criticism of the move as an attack on freedom of expression.
(Bangkok Post)
GHANA Is Supreme Curtailing Freedom of Expression?
In the wake of the Supreme Court hauling the Deputy Communication Director of NPP before it on Wednesday June 26, 2013 to explain his accusation of the Justices being selective and hypocritical in singling out the Daily Guide and the subsequent invitation to three others to appear before it on July 2, 2013, a number of articles have appeared on Ghanaweb not only attacking the actions and decisions but also the Presiding Justice as well as accusing him or the Justices of threatening freedom of expression and press freedom.
(Ghana Web)
JAMAICA Gays, Muslims And Free Speech
In October 2001, Evangelical preacher Harry John Hammond held up a large placard in Britain which read, ‘Stop immorality, stop homosexuality, stop lesbianism’. A group of approximately 40 people gathered around him, some threw missiles, and one attempted to pull away his placard. He fell backwards but got back up and resumed preaching against homosexuality.
(The Gleaner)
MIDDLE EAST Some Arab gov’ts accused of spying on web users
Internet users in several Arab states have claimed governments are spying on their online activities and at times sending threats in an attempt to avoid Arab Spring-style uprisings.
(Arabian Business)
SOUTH AFRICA SA’s ‘NObama’ Protests – Broad but Confused
After weeks of planning, US President Barack Obama arrived at the Waterkloof airbase on Friday evening. But not everyone wants him here, and the protests against his visit have drawn support from across the political spectrum.
(All Africa)
TURKEY A Guide To Everything Google Has Been Asked To Censor
The internet is all about the free flow of ideas, right? Collaboration! Discourse! Sharing! The day to day reality of what we do online may not always be quite so idealistic and ideologically motivated, but the open underpinnings are there. Except, of course, when they’re not at all. This visualisation, published by Sebastian Sadowski, uses Google’s transparency data to visualise all the things the company has been asked to censor.
(Gizmodo)
Pence deletes Facebook comments, accused of censorship
A social media war over the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage this week showed Gov. Mike Pence is still learning that being the state’s top executive often means dealing with surprises — a sharp contrast from the role he previously played in Congress, where 435 lawmakers frequently respond to specific problems.
(The Daily)
Newspapers must defend free speech
Many moons ago, when I worked at another newspaper in another community, I got into some hot water for approving a letter to the editor that ticked off an advertiser. I do not believe the letter was libelous, but it certainly irritated someone with deep pockets.
(Mansfield News Journal)
Egyptian intellectuals hold posters and the Tamarod (Rebellion) petitions while chanting slogans during a demonstration against the Minister of Culture Alaa Abdel Aziz, in front of the opera house in Cairo. (Photo: Mohamed Elmaymony / Demotix)
Tensions have been building up in Egypt ahead of mass protests called for by opposition activists on 30 June, the date marking the first anniversary of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi’s inauguration. Shahira Amin reports on the growing concerns for free expression
A sit in by a group of Egyptian filmmakers, writers, performers and intellectuals — which has continued for the past two weeks outside Cairo’s Ministry of Culture — is seen as a prelude to the bigger anti-Muslim Brotherhood protests planned for Sunday. The mass demonstrations are being called for by “Tamarod” (Rebellious), a nationwide campaign launched by members of the opposition Kefaya to collect signatures from Egyptians for a vote of no confidence in the Islamist President. Organizers of the campaign recently announced that they have succeeded in gathering 15 million signatures.
Meanwhile, the arts protesters outside the ministry are demanding the removal of Egypt’s new Islamist minister of culture Alaa Abdel Aziz and protesting what they claim are efforts by the Islamist government to “Ikhwanize” the arts. Ikhwanize is an Arabic word which literally means the appointment of members of the Muslim Brotherhood in key positions in state institutions.
The protesters have been using peaceful means to hammer home their message including poetry recitals, performances and raising placards with anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans.
Skirmishes broke out briefly last week after the peaceful rally was attacked by Islamist supporters of President Morsi who chanted pro-Muslim Brotherhood slogans and demanded that the minister purge the ministry of old regime remnants. Several protesters were injured in rock throwing incidents and assaults by the Islamist demonstrators before riot police intervened.
The protesters began their sit in after Abdel Aziz dismissed several cultural figures including the directors of the General Egyptian Book Organization, the Cairo Opera House and the National Library and Archives. These firings fueled fears that the expulsions were a first step to stifling artistic expression in the country by placing conservative Islamists at the helm of these institutions.
In a press statement released earlier this month, the Abdel Aziz defended the dismissals as a “campaign against corruption” which he said was a necessary step to purge the ministry of corrupt elements and halt embezzlement of public funds by greedy individuals. The cast of Opera Aida retaliated by appearing on stage with anti-Muslim Bortherhood placards and chants calling for the downfall of the Morsi regime.
The sackings followed controversial statements made earlier this month by conservative Salafist MP Gamal Hamed who criticized ballet as the “art of nudity” during a televised parliamentary session. His statements sparked concerns that ballet performances may be banned under the Islamist government. In recent months, some ultra-conservative Salafis have condemned the display of statues, insisting that depiction of the human body in paintings or sculpture is “frowned upon in Islam.” Such statements have stirred controversy, triggering an outcry by Egyptian liberals and intellectuals who are growing increasingly concerned that the rising wave of conservatism sweeping the country threatens the thousands of statues in museums and historic temples.
“Such statements pose a very real threat tp our ancient heritage as they may incite violent attacks by Islamist zealots on our monuments, “ said Maged Farrag, a liberal collector of royal artifacts.
In a move hailed as a victory by Egypt’s liberals and intellectuals, Mahmoud Abdulla, a controversial Salafi TV preacher who insulted Egyptian actress Elham Shaheen on his TV show on the religious Satellite Channel El Nas, has recently been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a fine. He had said that Shaheen would “never see the gates of Heaven because of her indecent roles on screen”. He stands to be imprisoned after his appeal was rejected by a court earlier this month.
Egypt’s liberals and intellectuals, however, are becoming increasingly concerned about what they describe as persistent attacks on creativity and artistic expression under Islamist rule. Many of them fear that the Islamist government is determined to alter Egypt’s cultural identity. In a column published earlier this month by state-sponsored Al Ahram, Khaled Fahmy, chairman of the history department at the American University in Cairo, explained that attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood to exercise control over the arts and culture were based on their conviction that Egypt’s identity “had been hijacked by the West and that the time had come for the country to regain its Islamic identity.”
The ministry of culture protesters have turned down an invitation for dialogue extended by President Morsi, who has promised to listen to their demands and concerns. They have vowed not to budge until Abdel Aziz is replaced.
“Egypt is not a privately-owned farm to be divided among the President’s loyalists as reward for their allegiance”, the Freedom of Creativity Front, a coalition of artists supporting the sit-in, said in a statement released earlier this month.
With just days to go before the mass protests demanding the downfall of the President and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails, more opposition activists are joining the ministry of culture sit in on a daily basis.
It appears certain that the ministry building will be one front where the secular-Islamist battle will be fought out.
Index on Censorship calls on the Turkish government to end its attempts to limit free speech as seen in its pressurising of journalists, criticism of social media commentary, and excessive violence in policing of recent protests.
The free speech organisation is very concerned at reports that the Turkish government has asked Twitter to set up an office in the country, allegedly to persuade the social media platform to remove tweets the government finds to be subversive or simply too critical. If true, this would be an extraordinary move.
Index CEO Kirsty Hughes said:
“The Turkish government appears increasingly unwilling to respect the fundamental rights of the Turkish people to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. The increasing political pressure from government combined with excessive violence in policing are undermining rights and threaten to seriously chill free speech through direct censorship and self-censorship. Without proper respect for free speech, there can be no effectively functioning democracy.”
European ministers and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members will meet on Sunday in Bahrain to discuss the future of their political and economic relations from 2013-2016. Bahrain’s free speech violations in recent weeks should also be up for discussion, says Sara Yasin
Bahrain is introducing new regulations on Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications that could mean a ban on programmes like Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, and Tango.
Minister of State for Communication Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa cited “security considerations” for the new regulations, according to Gulf News. He also said that it was part of “efforts exerted by the GCC to ensure the existence of regulations that preserve the rights of operators and that there is no abuse of communication applications”. Saudi Arabia, also a member of the GCC, blocked Viber earlier this month. The country has also threatened to ban Skype and WhatsApp after the companies refused to comply with the country’s monitoring requests.
The UK National Contact Point (NCP)for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)has announced that it will consider a case brought against a UK-based surveillance company for selling technology that was used to spy on Bahraini dissidents. Five organisations filed formal complaints against Gamma International with the OECD, arguing that the company has been in violation of the OECD guidelines by selling its technology to repressive governments. The company has claimed that it “would not supply the product identified in the complaint in a situation where it believed it would be used for the purpose of repressing civil rights”. Last year suspicious e-mails were sent to Bahraini dissidents, including London-based activist Ala’a Shehabi. The e-mails were eventually linked to Gamma International’s FinFisher Suite, which infects email accounts and electronic devices using Trojans. Privacy International, along with the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Reporters Without Borders, Bahrain Watch, and European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights brought the complaints against the security company in February this year.
Bahraini journalist Nazeeha Saeed
Manama’s Court of Appeal this week upheld the acquittal of Sarah Al-Moosa, a policewoman charged with torturing France 24 journalist Nazeeha Saeed. Al-Moosa was acquitted October last year, after a Manama Court decided that Saeed’s evidence was “contradictory” and “not consistent” with the forensic report. Saeed presented three medical reports confirming her account of torture while in police custody, after her arrest in May 2011. She was detained while covering a crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The jail sentence of human rights defender Zainab Alkhawajahas been extended by two months for allegedly assaulting two policewomen. Alkhawaja has been in jail since 27 February this year, serving on charges of “taking part in illegal gathering, unlawful entry to Pearl Roundabout, and insulting a police officer.” The activist’s sentence means that she will be held until February next year. Alkhawaja has been active in documenting and speaking out against human rights violations since the start of unrest in the country in February 2011.
Human rights defender Mohammad Al-Maskati
The head of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), Mohamed Al-Maskati, is currently facing charges for “participation in illegal protest.” The activist appeared before Manama’s Lower Criminal Court on 19 June, but the hearing was then postponed until July. If convicted, Al-Maskati faces up to six months jail time. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) believes that Al-Maskati has been targeted for condemning the regime’s human rights violations at the Human Rights Council in Geneva last September. The activist reportedly received threatening phone calls for his participation, and was targeted by pro-government newspapers following his return. Index has previously condemned Bahrain’s treatment of human rights defenders, including BCHR head Nabeel Rajab, who is serving a two-year jail sentence for “organising illegal gatherings.”
Sara Yasin is an Editorial Assistant at Index. She tweets from @missyasin
Index on Censorship is pleased to announce Charley-Kai John as the winner of our first student blogging competition on free speech. Entrants were asked to submit an essay about the biggest challenges to free expression in the world today. Here is John’s winning entry:
The biggest challenge facing freedom of expression in the world today is that the world wide web is not worldwide.
You see something. You Tweet about it. You post a status on Facebook. You share. You express. While it may not always be obvious at the time: you are flexing your freedom of expression. It is an everyday thing that can be found in your pocket or on your desk. Internet access is your tool to comment on society with. I am uploading this to Index right now using the internet.
It was given to ‘us’ for free. However the ‘you’ and ‘us’ I speak of are subjective. I am speaking about people in Britain, and other countries where the web access is widely available. This subjectivity undermines the freedom of expression embodied in the premise of a ‘world wide’ web. Having open internet access is a privilege that I and many people often take for granted.
A trending # has the ability to connect people across the world instantaneously but that does not mean it will be seen by everyone in every country. North Korea is an extreme and yet important example. “Technically” this is a country with internet, however to say it is a country with internet encapsulates access which is not limited to certain members of society and heavily censored by the government.
The country recently gained its own wireless 3G network. It is a 3G network unlike any other. The 2 million North Korean citizens who now use this service are unable to access the internet. The DPRK twitter account cannot even be accessed. A shame for any North Korean wishing to see the same message its government relays daily, regurgitated through a medium designed to expand the world. What little internet access North Koreans do have is used instead to make their world smaller.
A country that is secluded from the internet is secluded from the world. The North Korean government has been able to hold its grasp by limiting access to a world outside the one they have created. An outside world is not a possibility without a world wide web to present it. This access needs to be in the hands and homes of North Koreans because at the moment, it is an understandably difficult external world to visualise.
‘Hello world from comms center in #Pyongyang.’
Journalist Jean H. Lee tweeted this on February 24 2013. It may only be one tweet floating around the Twittersphere that day but it is believed to be the first twitter message sent using the country’s mobile 3G service. It is also probably one of the last. Internet access withheld from its own citizens was offered to those coming into the country and even this service has reportedly now been stopped.
I want to see a tweet, not from a journalist, but from a North Korean: expressing views that are not the government’s but their own. I want this blog post to be easily accessible in North Korea. The world wide web has turned freedom of expression into a truly global thing but there is still room for it to grow.
—
John is a first-year undergrad at the University of Warwick studying English literature. His blog post focuses on the limits of digital freedom of expression in authoritarian North Korea.
The judging panel — which inculded Index on Censorship CEO Kirsty Hughes and former Chair Jonathan Dimbleby, Global Publishing Director at SAGE Ziyad Marar, and Head of Journalism at City University London George Brock — commended John’s entry for his original point of view, fresh and engaging style, and clear understanding of one of today’s greatest challenges to freedom of expression.
John’s winning entry will be published in the Index on Censorship magazine. He will also receive £100, a one-year magazine subscription and will be invited to our magazine launch party in September.
INDEX POLICY PAPER Is the EU heading in the right direction on digital freedom?
While in principle the EU supports freedom of expression, it has often put more emphasis on digital competitiveness and has been slow to prioritise and protect digital freedom, Brian Pellot, digital policy advisor at Index on Censorship writes in this policy paper
(Index on Censorship)
BURMA Burma censors Time Magazine for coverage of radical Buddhists
Reporters Without Borders condemns the decision by Burmese magazine distributor Inwa Publications not to sell Time Magazine’s July issue, which has cover story about the Burmese Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu headlined “The Face of Buddhist Terror.”
(Thailand Business News)
CHINA Rethinking the Firewall as a One-Way Mirror
Maybe he should be known for hanging China’s One-Way Mirror instead constructing its Great Firewall. That’s the message Chinese Internet users are sending as the nation’s best-known censorship engineer, Fang Binxing, said he was retiring. Known as the father of China’s Great Firewall for helping develop tools that keep Internet users in the country from surfing websites available elsewhere, Mr. Fang is facing a fresh line of criticism in the wake of allegations by former U.S. defense contractor Edward Snowden that American intelligence agencies regularly compromised Chinese servers.
(Wall Street Journal)
SUDAN Sudanese journalist targeted for allegedly insulting the military
When three journalists were invited to accompany a military official to a town supposedly recaptured from rebels, they did not expect to end up caught in crossfire. One journalist is being targeted after an anonymous and more honest account of the incident appeared online. Reem Abbas reports
(Index on Censorship)
TUNISIA Tunisian court sets free Femen activists
Three European women who were sentenced to four months in jail for staging a topless protest in support of a detained Tunisian Femen activist have arrived in Paris after being freed a day earlier by a Tunisian court, French media has reported.
(France 24)
Turkey heads for Twitter showdown after anti-government protests
The Turkish government is heading towards a showdown with Twitter after asking it to set up a “representative office” inside the country. The move could presage censorship of the microblogging service it has accused of helping stir weeks of anti-administration protests.
(The Guardian)
Wealthy are gagging the media: Nesbitt
The UUP leader and a retired part-time judge yesterday told MLAs that the wealthy and powerful are using the current libel laws in an attempt to “control” the media.
(News Letter)
UNITED STATES Kickstarter’s Choice: How free should speech be on the web?
“No problem. I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” Memorize that line. It is your go-to when faced with resistance. Say it genuinely, without presumption. All master seducers are also masters at making women feel comfortable. You’ll be no different. If a woman isn’t comfortable, take a break and try again later.”
(The New Yorker)
Virginia-based appeals court reinstates NC dietary advice blogger’s free-speech lawsuit
A federal appeals court has reinstated a North Carolina blogger’s lawsuit claiming state officials violated his free-speech rights. The North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition last year told Stanley resident Steve Cooksey to take down or modify parts of his website offering dietary advice to fellow diabetics. The board said it had received a complaint that Cooksey was operating as a dietician without a state license.
(The Washington Post)
For Censoring Websites, the Muzzle Award Goes to Rhode Island Public Schools
Over the past two decades, the Internet has become a crucial tool in public education, opening schoolchildren to the broader world. Yet concerns about sex, violence, and other inappropriate content has led many school districts to impose draconian restrictions limiting kids’ access to even the most innocuous material.
(WGBH Boston)
The EU needs to develop a coherent and comprehensive digital freedom strategy. Brian Pellot writes
Recent revelations from the US National Security Agency have shown that our fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of expression are being compromised on a global scale. This is true despite false assurances to the contrary and the US government’s consistent rhetoric celebrating digital freedom. Unfortunately, the US is far from alone in peddling such hypocrisy. The EU as a whole and its individual member states also promote digital freedom in press conferences yet often undermine positive words with contradictory policies at home and abroad.
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Lukashenko’s government is open for dialogue with Europe. But it will expect something in return, says Andrei Aliaksandrau
Index on Censorship is pleased to announce Charley-Kai John as the winner of our first student blogging competition on free speech. Entrants were asked to submit an essay about the biggest challenges to free expression in the world today. Here is John’s winning entry: