26 Jun 2013 | In the News
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)
AZERBAIJAN
Tensions between two natural allies
Protesters face an extra three months in prison without trial. Padraig Reidy reports. Members of Azerbaijan’s N!DA Civic movement have been held since the end of March this year. It was confirmed this week that their pre-trial detention is to continue for another three months.
(Index on Censorship)
EUROPEAN UNION
Free expression guidelines a crucial opportunity for EU
As the European Commission opens a consultation on its planned freedom of expression guidelines, Index on Censorship is publishing a public note setting out what it sees as the key principles that must underpin such guidelines.
(Index on Censorship)
INDIA
Tensions between two natural allies
The doctrine of prior restraint and the more potent contempt of court provisions have the potential to disturb the relationship between the judiciary and media
(The Hindu)
ISRAEL
Bill making libel against IDF a crime ‘highly problematic’
The Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Monday debated the so-called “Jenin-Jenin bill,” which suggests making libelous statements or accusations against the Israel Defense Forces in the media would become a criminal offense.
(Israel Hayom)
LIBYA
Libyan political party officials could face death penalty over election posters
Libyan judicial authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges that violate freedom of speech over election poster cartoons against two Libyan National Party officials, Human Rights Watch said today. Under the laws being applied in this case, the men could face the death penalty over posters their party displayed during the 2012 election campaign for the General National Congress.
(IFEX)
PAKISTAN
‘Solid’ culture policy can help defeat terrorism
The Culture Journalists Forum (CJF) on Monday demanded of the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to announce a ‘solid and clear’ culture policy, allocate funds for the promotion of art and culture in the province and set up a transparent censorship board to check production of substandard and vulgar Pashto CDs.
(Dawn)
NORWAY
Freedom of Expression Grant to Far-Right Blogger Stirs Debate in Norway
Culture Minister Hadia Tajik supports Freedom of Expression grant for the controversial blogger Peder Nøstvold Jensen, best known by the nickname Fjordman.
(The Nordic Page)
SPAIN
Spain’s Google privacy case “an interference with the freedom of expression”
Should search engines be forced to block results that link to newspaper articles? No, the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice said earlier today, deciding Google need not block “legal and legitimate information that has entered the public domain”. Brian Pellot writes
(Index on Censorship)
TAIWAN
Taiwan: Internet Policy Reforms Spark Fears of Censorship
This spring, the Taiwanese government has proposed multiple amendments to existing laws that could impact free expression online, sparking concern among Taiwanese netizens. While many are comparing the amendments to Chinese-style speech control, others have noted the influence of the United States on the legislation.
(Global Voices Online)
TURKEY
Turkey protests restrict Erdogan’s foreign activism
Expert: Ankara still may act in key regions, including Gaza; twenty arrested in latest raid in Turkey.
(The Jerusalem Post)
EU agrees to reopen Turkey membership talks
The EU agreed to reopen long-stalled talks on Turkey’s EU membership on Tuesday, but not until a later date due to concerns from Germany that it could send the wrong message to Ankara after its tough crackdown on anti-government protests.
(France 24)
UKRAINE
Femen and Facebook in ‘Pornography’ Row over Topless Pictures
Radical feminist group Femen has had two of its Facebook pages blocked by the social networking site because of nudity. The Facebook censors went into action because of the large number of images of Femen activists taking part in topless demonstrations.
(International Business Times)
UNITED STATES
The chilling effects of surveillance
Revelations contained in documents recently leaked to the Guardian by whistleblower Edward Snowden have placed the United States front and centre in the ongoing global debate around mass surveillance.
(Al Jazeera)
Edward Snowden: history will be kind to him
Daniel Ellsberg, the leaker of the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago, was smeared and denounced at the time
(The Guardian)
Have you noticed growing assaults on free speech? Here? And here? And here?
Revelations contained in documents recently leaked to the Guardian by whistleblower Edward Snowden have placed the United States front and centre in the ongoing global debate around mass surveillance.
(Investor’s Business Daily/a>)
Abortion Opponents: ‘Buffer Zones’ At Abortion Clinics Violate Free Speech
The Supreme Court has said it will reconsider the constitutionality of protest zones
(US News and World Report)
Previous Free Expression in the News posts
June 25 | June 24 | June 21 | June 20 | June 19 | June 18 | June 17
17 Jun 2013 | In the News
CANADA
Free speech doesn’t cover libel or slander, in any language
It was back in 2006 that Vancouver lawyer Roger McConchie warned in a CanWest News Service interview that libel cases were on the increase in Canada and that the Internet was “the single most important reason for the increase.” His law firm, McConchie Law Corp., has kept track of Canadian cases since the first Internet libel suit was launched in 1995, with one Julian Fantino awarded $40,000 in damages.
(Times Colonist)
CHINA
Is Hong Kong really free or does Beijing call the shots
The flight of a government whistle-blower – or possible fugitive from justice – to the quasi-democratic Chinese enclave of Hong Kong has given this former British colony a bit of free PR.
(Patriot-News)
EGYPT
Egyptian Politician: Jews Use Human Blood for Passover Matzos
The Muslim world is keeping the centuries old “matzah blood libel” alive and well – even in Egypt, with which Israel has a peace treaty.
(Arutz Sheva 7)
EUROPEAN UNION
EU deal to protect film, TV, sets the stage for transatlantic trade pact
Compromise protecting film, TV from market liberalisation permits progress on transatlantic talks but could stoke protectionism in US
(South China Morning Post)
INDIA
EU not ready to give India ‘data secure’ status
The European Union has picked holes in India’s data security system and suggested that a joint expert group be set up to propose ways on how the country should tighten measures to qualify as a data secure nation.
(The Hindu)
MIDDLE EAST
Lifting of censorship boosts Arab media
Lifting of media censorship in Arab Spring countries has boosted local channels which have stepped into the role Aljazeera had been playing in the region for years, according to a new book.
(The Peninsula)
UNITED KINGDOM
Met chief ‘faces libel claim over Plebgate’
Britain’s most senior police officer faces being called to testify on oath over leaks in the Andrew Mitchell ‘Plebgate’ affair.
(Daily Mail)
The home of free speech closes down for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
The news that the Government is trying to prevent whistleblower Edward Snowden from travelling to this country by telling airlines not to accept him as a passenger has made me furious.
(The Independent)
DIY YouTube directors to self-regulate under new censorship scheme
Film watchdogs in three countries including UK are to pilot a program in which amateur video-makers can self-regulate
(The Observer)
UNITED STATES
First Amendment Ban on ‘gruesome images’ threatens free speech
For those of us who worry about the vitality of free speech in the “land of the free,” recent news isn’t good. On June 10, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a Colorado appeals court decision banning anti-abortion activists from displaying “gruesome images” of mutilated fetuses that might be seen by children.
(Pantagraph)
14 Jun 2013 | In the News
GLOBAL
Q&A: “Media Concentration Is an Attack on Democracy”
“We have to understand that information, above all else, is a social service. If we lose sight of that dimension we begin to regulate it as merchandise, but the state has many other obligations, such as to guarantee freedom,” said Frank La Rue.
(European Daily Express)
AFRICA
MFWA Highlights Major Threats to Press Freedom in West Africa
Armed conflicts, violent activities of fundamentalist groups and drug cartels and general intolerance for free expression among a number of governments have been highlighted as major threats to the advancement of press freedom in the West African region.
(AllAfrica.com)
AUSTRALIA
Success for Vivid but lingering fears over censorship
Vivid festival has ended as a spectacular success with a record-breaking attendance in Sydney, but behind the scenes the relationship between the popular event and photojournalism festival Reportage has soured amid accusations of censorship and breaches of contract.
(The Guardian)
IRAN
Hacker Says Iranian Censorship Can Be Bypassed
An Israeli hacker says it’s easy to bypass the tight Iranian government censorship wrapped around media and the Internet as 50 million citizens head for the polls this Friday.
(Arutz Sheva 7)
Iran’s presidential vote not free, fair: UN rights envoy
Iran’s presidential election has been neither free nor fair as Tehran has silenced journalists and opposition leaders in the run up to Friday’s vote, a United Nations human rights investigator said in Spain. Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, warned in March that he was concerned that the outcome of the election would lack legitimacy because dozens of Iranian journalists were behind bars and hundreds of political prisoners remained in custody.
(Business Recorder)
RUSSIA
New Russian Law Makes Publication of Information on Gay Rights Illegal
On June 11 the Russian parliament passed a bill against “homosexual propaganda” that effectively outlaws gay rights rallies and bans informational or pro-gay rights material from publication in the media or on the Internet. Violators of the law will risk heavy fines and censorship and, in the case of a media outlet, risk being shut down. It had near unanimous support, passing in a 436-to-0 vote, with only one abstention.
(Tech President)
UNITED KINGDOM
LRC keeps up pressure on libel reform
Finance Minister Sammy Wilson’s decision to veto a law to strengthen protections on free speech has been vigorously defended by the DUP, following fresh criticism.
(The Bookseller)
Yesterday, an MP stood up in parliament and threatened a newspaper with censorship. Where’s the outrage?
Imagine if an MP stood up in parliament and told, say, an anarchist magazine to stop publishing cartoons mocking government officials. Imagine if that MP then said that if the magazine didn’t comply with this request, the government would “step in and legislate” in order to physically and brutally prevent it from publishing the offending material. There’d be outrage, right?
(The Telegragh)
DUP defends libel law veto
Finance Minister Sammy Wilson’s decision to veto a law to strengthen protections on free speech has been vigorously defended by the DUP, following fresh criticism.
(News Letter)
Twitter: #FreeSpeech or #EthicalCleansing?
There has been a storm of somewhat overblown hysteria about the US and UK authorities secretly spying on citizens’ private emails and postings on social-media websites. Yet there is far less debate about a much more open attempt to police free speech online in the UK, through the public pursuit, arrest and prosecution of those deemed to have said something offensive or outrageous on Twitter or Facebook.
(Spiked)
UK libel reform fight ‘isn’t over yet’
British scientists should not celebrate victory in their libel reform fight just yet, according to the campaigners who have spent years pushing for change.
(Nature)
UNITED STATES
The worst crimes against the First Amendment
Since 1992, The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression has celebrated the birth and ideals of its namesake by calling attention to those who in the past year forgot or disregarded Jefferson’s admonition that freedom of speech “cannot be limited without being lost.”
(Missoula Independent)
Freedom of Speech Lives On
“Holding Colleges Responsible” is the latest example in a slew of articles – many of them quoting the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education – that are meant to alarm anyone with a voice, and the author’s use of selective quotes out of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights’s response to FIRE only fans the flame.
(Inside Higher Ed)
How Colleges Label Protected Speech as ‘Harassment’–And Why the DOJ and ED Have Made Matters Worse
One would think the Departments of Justice and Education would be mindful of citizens’ constitutional rights. Unfortunately, recent developments fly in the face of that assumption: New regulations from the DOJ and ED significantly harm student and faculty free speech rights.
(Huffington Post)
Ban on “gruesome images” threatens free speech
For those of us who worry about the vitality of free speech in the “land of the free,” the news this week isn’t good. On June 10, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a Colorado appeals court decision banning anti-abortion activists from displaying “gruesome images” of mutilated fetuses that might be seen by children.
(GazetteXtra)
Atheist group sues Orange schools, claiming censorship
An atheist group that distributed pamphlets in 11 Orange County high schools last month filed a lawsuit today against Orange County Public Schools, claiming censorship.
(Orlando Sentinel)
Obscenity is protected free speech, NY attorneys say
A 22-year-old Connecticut man arrested for writing obscenities and “Tyranny” on his speeding ticket payment claims in a federal lawsuit that his free speech rights were violated.
(WHAM 13)
Gov. Rick Perry: ‘Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion’
Current Republican governor of Texas, Rick Perry attacked nonreligious Americans during a signing of the “Merry Christmas” bill this week, insinuating that Americans don’t have the right to be secular.
(Examiner)
10 Jun 2013 | In the News
GLOBAL
UN report slams government surveillance
The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Frank La Rue delivered a report to the Human Rights Council outlining how state and corporate surveillance undermine freedom of expression and privacy. (Index on Censorship)
GREECE
Kostas Vaxevanis faces fresh trial
The Greek journalist who published the infamous “Lagarde list” of Swiss bank accounts could face two years in jail for breaching privacy. (Index on Censorship)
INDIA
HC directive on film posters a springboard for double censorship
The Kerala High Court’s directive to the State Police Chief to take up investigation of cases registered for indecent representation of women could end up as a double censorship, it is felt. (The Hindu)
Defying censorship, the reporter who exposed the killings
Brahma Chellaney exposed the killings of young unarmed Sikh youths for a foreign news agency, and faced severe government harassment (The Hindu)
IRAN
Regime’s media slam mullahs censorship
The Iranian regime’s own media has spoken out in protest at the censoring and restrictions imposed on their work. More than one hundred media staff covering next week’s election have released a statement criticising the oppressive scrutiny of their news websites, including reporters from the state-run Fars news agency. (National Council of Resistance of Iran)
IRELAND
Media must be free to ‘be arrow and not target’
THE first President Roosevelt coined the term “bully pulpit” when describing the less obvious charms of the American chief magistracy. (Irish Independent)
JAMAICA
Free Speech And Gay Rights
Boyne: Tolerance does not mean acceptance. And this is my problem with some gay people: … Any rejection of homosexuality as morally wrong is seen as homophobia. That is nonsense and an abuse of language to shut down conversation. (The Gleaner)
MALTA
‘Adult plays should be protected from police’
When censorship laws were relaxed last year, theatre buffs rejoiced thinking that no play would suffer the same fate as Anthony Neilson’s Stitching. (Times of Malta)
SINGAPORE
Singapore Bloggers Protest Licensing Rules for News Websites
More than 2,000 Singaporeans gathered at a downtown park to protest a regulation requiring websites that regularly publish news on the city state to be licensed. (Jakarta Globe)
UNITED STATES
Former FCC Chairman: Let’s Test an Emergency Ad Hoc Network
As the Boston Marathon bombings unfolded, thousands of anxious people in the region pulled out their mobile phones to connect with friends and family—and found that calls couldn’t be placed or received. Rumors that officials had shut down these mobile networks for security reasons weren’t true. The system was simply overloaded at a time when people needed it most.
(MIT Technology Review)
Produced By Conference: Death Threats, But No Network Censorship For ‘Walking Dead’ Execs
The Walking Dead exec producer Gale Anne Hurd admitted this afternoon that one of the hazards of her job is receiving death threats from the rabid fan base of smash hit AMC zombie drama when it dares to kill off a character. “That’s one of the dirty little secrets of social media,” she admitted.
(Deadline Hollywood)
School deliberately cuts valedictorian’s mic mid-speech
A US high school valedictorian had his microphone deliberately switched off in the middle of his graduation speech because the school had not approved what he was saying.
(9 News)
Freedom of speech under attack by Islamophobes in Tennessee
I’ve noted before that Pamela Geller Does Not Understand Freedom of Speech when she found fault with American Muslims and others for denouncing her hate ads. This she called an attempt to “impose blasphemy restrictions on free speech”.
(The American Muslim)
Do news organizations hurt free speech when they ban offensive words?
From now on, no one will be described in an Associated Press news story as an “illegal immigrant,” “illegal alien,” “illegal,” or as “undocumented.”
(Denver Post)
OPINION: Pro-Palestinian groups don’t respect free speech on campus
College is meant to be a place where free speech comes alive. Different viewpoints are supposed to be welcome and intellectual diversity celebrated.
(Campus Reform)
Disputed ads are protected speech
The ad we placed on city buses quoting Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu comparing what Palestinians endure to South African apartheid was meant to educate the public about Israeli and U.S. policies.
(San Francisco Examiner)
Conservatives as Defenders of the Media
The conservative pundit Glenn Beck took the lectern at a conference center on Manhattan’s East Side last Thursday to accept the Freedom of Speech Award for his commentary on TheBlaze television network and his syndicated radio show.
(The New York Times)
VIETNAM
Vietnamese Directors Speak Out On CHO LON and Censorship
The banning of the Nguyen brothers’ Cho Lon caused extreme rage in Vietnam yesterday. And not just for filmmakers or film geeks, but all over the country; I haven’t seen anything like this before. Previously banned films came and went quietly, but Cho Lon is now the focus of a national conversation. (Twitch)
