Free expression in the news

28 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)

BRAZIL
Brazil protesters: Is common ground really necessary?
The bus fare hikes that sparked widespread Brazilian protests have been reversed, but protests continue. Can they last?
(The Christian Science Monitor)

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)

CANADA
Bill to end ‘hate speech’ portion of human rights law gets mixed reviews but Senate approval
A contentious section of Canadian human rights law, long criticized by free-speech advocates as overly restrictive and tantamount to censorship, is gone for good.
(The Province)

EUROPEAN UNION
Post-Prism leaks, where does the EU stand on digital freedom?
The EU needs to develop a coherent and comprehensive digital freedom strategy. Brian Pellot writes
(Index on Censorship)

HUNGARY
Can free expression survive in Hungary?
Funding has been removed from projects not deemed to be in keeping with the official view of Hungarian culture.
(New Statesman)

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
Angela Merkel warns Turkey European democratic values ‘non-negotiable’ for EU entry
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel said she welcomed an agreement to reopen talks with Turkey about joining the European Union but warned in the light of the crackdown on Turkish anti-government protests that democratic values were non-negotiable.
(Irish Independent)

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)

UNITED KINGDOM
British media ‘may leave Belfast over province’s refusal to change libel laws’
British media groups may pull out of Northern Ireland because the province is refusing to implement changes to antiquated libel laws, the House of Lords has been warned.
(The Daily Mail)

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)

Libel lawyer: I did not lobby DUP to block bill
Belfast’s most prominent libel lawyer has said that he did not lobby DUP Finance Minister Sammy Wilson to block British libel reforms extending to Northern Ireland.
(News Letter)

Free Speech or Hate Speech? Britain Bans U.S. Anti-Muslim Bloggers
A British decision to bar a visit by two prominent American anti-Islam activists has prompted righteous indignation from the targets of the ban as well as a more measured debate about the limits of free speech.
(The New York Times)

Free Speech Dies in UK: Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller Banned from Entering
“U.S. Bloggers banned from Entering the UK.” That’s how a BBC headline broke the news that authors Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer were denied entry to the country that gave the world the Magna Carta.
(PJ Media)

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)

Another ‘Free Speaker’ Jailed for Views
Speaking one’s mind in American police state becoming an increasingly dangerous proposition
(American Free Press)

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)

Previous Free Expression in the News posts
June 27 | June 26 | June 25 | June 24 | June 21 | June 20 | June 19 | June 18 | June 17

Free expression in the news

27 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)

AUSTRALIA
Australia doubles down on censorship, refuses R18+ classification to State of Decay
Australia, coming off the back of refusing classification to Saints Row IV yesterday, apparently wasn’t satisfied with just one act of censorship. Today Undead Labs announced that their game too had been refused classification, so for the foreseeable future Australia will not be seeing State of Decay. Again, the issue seems to be related to some sort of drug use. The team is currently exploring their options with Microsoft
(NeoSeeker)

BAHRAIN
Bahrain mulls clamp on Internet calls
Bahrain is considering introducing controls on calls made via the Internet, including those on Skype and Viber, said a top official.
(Trade Arabia)

BRAZIL
Brazil’s left and right struggle for ownership of protests
Rival groups split on the political direction of the protests, with claims two organisations back military rule
(The Guardian)

EGYPT
Egypt journalists to march for free expression on 30 June
Journalists criticise attacks on freedom of expression under President Mohamed Morsi
(Ahram Online)

EUROPEAN UNION
EU adopts guidelines to “protect and promote” LGBTI rights
Coming on the heels of Russia’s enactment of a “gay propaganda” law, the European Union’s decision to adopt guidelines to protect the rights of lebian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in foreign relations on Monday is welcome. Sean Gallagher writes
(Index on Censorship)

FRANCE
Pro-Israeli activist found guilty of libel
A man has been convicted of defamation in France for his claims about a widely-publicised video which showed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy’s death in Gaza Strip.
(Al Jazeera)

ISRAEL
Knesset members seek libel protection for IDF soldiers
If passed, legislation will enable class-action suits against critics who make false claims about army operations
(The Times of Israel)

INDIA
Censor laws are extremely ambiguous: Anand Gandhi
Independent filmmaker Anand Gandhi was in the city recently to screen his film ‘Ship of Theseus’ for the students of Film and Television Institute of India. Anand spoke to TOI about being an independent filmmaker, film censorship and why serious engagement from the government for Indian films is the need of the hour.
(The Times of India)

JORDAN
Jordan Accused Of Targeting Online Dissent
Jordan’s King Abdullah vowed to make the desert kingdom a “free Internet” country as he began his rule more than a decade ago. On June 2, when local Internet providers were ordered to block hundreds of news websites across the kingdom, Web publishers protested the broken promise and international media watchdog organizations charged censorship.
(NPR)

RUSSIA
Blockage of Major News Websites Raises Censorship Fears
A ruling by a court in the central Russian town of Ulyanovsk ordering a state-run Internet provider to block access to 15 websites, including those of two prominent national newspapers, has sparked fears of a broader campaign of Internet censorship in the country.
(The Moscow Times)

SOUTH AFRICA
South African groups seek arrest warrants for Obama
Two South African groups were trying to obtain arrest warrants for US President Barack Obama, who will visit the country later this week.
(Times Live)

TURKEY
Turkey seeks to tighten grip on Twitter after protests
Turkey said on Wednesday it had asked Twitter to set up a representative office inside the country, which could give it a tighter rein over the microblogging site it has accused of helping stir weeks of anti-government protests.
(Reuters)

UNITED KINGDOM
Banning of Geller and Spencer from UK will only build grievance
Britain’s ban on anti-Muslim activists could do more harm than good, says Padraig Reidy
(Index on Censorship)

Change in libel laws ‘not required in Northern Ireland’
A Stormont committee has been told there is no need to reform antiquated Northern Ireland’s libel laws by a high-profile libel lawyer.
(Belfast Telegraph)

Daily Mail in £110k libel payout over Syrian chemical weapons story
The Daily Mail has been forced to pay more than £100,000 in damages and apologise for a story linking a UK defence company with the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
(Press Gazette)

UNITED STATES
Jeff Olson Faces 13 Years In Jail For Writing Anti-Bank Messages In Chalk
Jeff Olson, a man who is being prosecuted for writing anti-bank messages on sidewalks in water-soluble chalk last year, is facing a 13-year jail sentence.
(Opposing Views)

Companies win U.S. free speech shield over scientific articles
Authors and publishers of controversial scientific articles, and the companies sponsoring those articles, won broad free speech protection from a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday.
(Reuters)

Sexual predator cries censorship over Jaycee Dugard memoir
Eight years ago, a New York journalist named Peter Braunstein, then 41, forced his way into the apartment of a 34-year-old Manhattan woman by pretending to be a firefighter. He proceeded to drug the woman, a former colleague, and sexually assault her for more than 12 hours.
(Los Angeles Times)

VIETNAM
In Vietnam, “Depraved” Blogging Could Get You Locked Up for a Decade
Vietnam is not a good place to be a blogger. At least, it’s not a good place to be a blogger if you actually want to write what’s on your mind.
(Motherboard)

Previous Free Expression in the News posts
June 26 | June 25 | June 24 | June 21 | June 20 | June 19 | June 18 | June 17

Free expression in the news

21 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)

BAHRAIN
HRW: ‘No Space for Political Dissent’ in Bahrain
New laws and lengthy jail terms for activists have put freedom of association in Bahrain under severe threat, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
(VOA)

BANGLADESH
Facebook and freedom of speech
The parliament of Bangladesh on June 11 passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2013 which will allow the courts to accept videos, still photographs and audio clips used in Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and other social media for trial cases.
(Dhaka Tribune)

BORNEO
Film industry players told to instil patriotism, cultural values
Film industry players have been urged to instil the values of patriotism and culture in their products to educate society.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this was in order to change the perception of society towards the values of culture and nationhood.
(The Borneo Post)

BRAZIL
Brazil’s president meets protests with an anti-Erdogan response
Protests have popped up across the globe in recent years, but government response has varied. Rousseff’s approach contrasted with the adversarial position of Turkey’s Erdogan, for example.
(Christian Science Monitor)

CANADA
BC Supreme Court rejects Zesty’s comedian appeal
The BC Supreme Court has upheld a decision by the BC Human Rights Tribunal which found that Lorna Pardy’s complaint against comedian Guy Earle and the owners of Zesty’s restaurant was justified.
(Xtra!)

EUROPE
Media: freedom has declined in West Balkans, Turkey
Freedom of the media has declined in the past two years in the Balkans and in Turkey, OSCE Representative Dunja Mijatovic said at the EU ”Speak Up!” conference on Freedom of Expression here today.
(Ansa Med)

GHANA
Defamation against FCT Minister: Kaduna-based Publisher Risks N5b Libel Suit
FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has served notice of his intention to slam a Five Billion Naira (N5,000,000,000:00) on the Kaduna based Desert Herald newspaper and its publisher, Alhaji Tukur Mamu for defamation and libel following series of damaging publications against him by Mamu through his newspaper and two others. Similarly, the Director of Treasury of FCT Administration, Alhaji Ibrahim Bomai through the same solicitors has threatened to institute a Two Billion Naira (N2,000,000,000:00) against Mamu for the same offence of defamation and libel.
(Spy Ghana)

IRELAND
“The ferociousness of the censorship made Ireland a laughing stock”
Diarmaid Ferriter discusses the widespread censorship of publications in Ireland during the 20th century
(NewsTalk 106-108FM)

LIBYA
Blasphemy Charges Over Election Posters – Political Party Officials Could Face Death Penalty
Libyan judicial authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges that violate freedom of speech over election poster cartoons against two Libyan National Party officials. 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.
(All Africa)

MEXICO
Will Mexico’s plans for reducing violence mean anything for journalists?
Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, promised that tackling crime and drug-related violence is a priority for his six-month-old government. While improving safety is important, Peña Nieto must also remember that protecting journalists and human rights workers must go beyond words, says Sara Yasin
(Index on Censorship)

TANZANIA
Zanzibar Legislators Call for National Unity Govt Self-Censorship
A LEGISLATOR of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, Mr Omar Ali Shehe (CUF), has said Zanzibaris were unhappy with the performance of the Government of National Unity (GNU), formed jointly between Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and CUF two-and-half years ago.
(All Africa)

TUNISIA
How Tunisia is Turning Into a Salafist Battleground
An interview with a professor who was attacked for standing up for secularism.
(The Atlantic)

TURKEY
Şanar Yurdatapan on Turkey: ‘Things will never be the same again’
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the IFEX General Meeting and Strategy Conference 2013, Index Director of Campaigns and Policy Marek Marczynski spoke with 2002 Index on Censorship award winner Şanar Yurdatapan, a composer and song writer who campaigns against the prosecution of publishers by the Turkish authorities. Yurdatapan shared his views on the events sweeping Turkey
(Index on Censorship)

UNITED KINGDOM
The end of Britain’s social media prosecutions?
Keir Starmer’s new guidelines aim to minimise controversial criminal cases against Twitter and Facebook users. But will they work, asks Padraig Reidy
(Index on Censorship)

Psychic wins libel case over claim she duped Dublin audience
The publisher of the Daily Mail has agreed to pay “substantial” damages to a psychic after an article suggested she had “perpetrated a scam” on a Dublin theatre audience.
(Irish Times)

Government to propose new free speech clause for marriage supporters
Government ministers are expected to announce new proposals to offer more protection in law for those who express the view that marriage can only be between one man and one woman.
(Christian Concern)

UNITED STATES
Supreme Court upholds free speech for groups fighting AIDS
The Supreme Court rejects a federal law that requires organizations to announce anti-prostitution policies in order to receive funding.
(Los Angeles Times)

L. Brent Bozell III: Media coverage shows ‘anti-gay’ view censorship
The media elites have never been less interested in objectivity than they are right now on “gay marriage.” They don’t wear rainbow flags on their lapels when they appear on television, but the coverage speaks for itself.
(NVDaily)

Student wins free-speech lawsuit against teacher
A Michigan teacher who kicked a student out of class after the teen made a comment against homosexuality during a high school anti-bullying day was ordered to pay $1 for violating his free speech rights.
(Associated Press via SFGate.com)

No Sympathy For Media Just Now Realizing Obama ‘A Serious Threat’ To Free Speech
On Thursday, conservative columnist Michelle Malkin joined Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy where she dug into the ongoing scandals and controversies that have engulfed President Barack Obama’s administration. Malkin noted that some in the media who had previously supported the president are now more leery of the administration.
(Mediaite)

Fair Trade Music Project Speaks Out for Silenced Songwriters
Following the success of the World Creators Summit held in Washington, DC, June 4-5, the Music Creators North America (spearheading the Fair Trade Music Project) took another step toward defending the rights of creators.
(Herald Online)

Planned Parenthood says Kansas abortion law violates doctors’ free speech rights
Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Thursday over a new Kansas law requiring doctors to inform women seeking abortions that they’re ending the life of a “whole, separate, unique, living human being.”
(The Washington Post)

UCF Professor Accused of ‘Hate Speech Toward Islam’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has filed a complaint against a University of Central Florida (UCF) professor, who they claim is teaching that Muslims are taught to hate “from the cradle.” According to The Raw Story, CAIR referenced a seminar held by Professor Jonathan Matusitz in January, which included “inaccurate information, anti-Muslim bigotry and hostility in the form of hate speech toward Islam and Muslims.”
(Ring of Fire)

EU-US trade talks won’t exclude film, culture: US envoy
The US ambassador to the European Union insisted Thursday that Europe’s film and cultural industry will not be totally excluded from upcoming talks on striking the world’s biggest free trade deal.
(AFP)

VIETNAM
Access submits UPR report on Vietnam: Cyber attacks on civil society a key concern
Access has partnered with ARTICLE 19, PEN International, and English PEN on a joint submission on Vietnam to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The submission focuses on the lack of improvement of human rights, specifically freedom of expression, in Vietnam since the last UPR in 2009, and highlights the Vietnamese government’s troubling response to the recent increase in cyber attacks against civil society.
(Access)

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