8 Jul 2013 | In the News
FROM INDEX ON CENSORSHIP MAGAZINE
Global view: Who has freedom of expression?
Freedom of expression is a universal, fundamental human right. But who actually has access to free expression? Index CEO Kirsty Hughes looks at the evidence.
(Index on Censorship)
The multipolar challenge to free expression
As emerging markets command influence on the international stage, Saul Estrin and Kirsty Hughes look at the impact on economics, politics and human rights.
(Index on Censorship)
News in monochrome: Journalism in India
The media’s infatuation with a single narrative is drowning out the country’s diversity, giving way to sensationalist reporting and “paid for” news. But, says Bharat Bhushan, moves towards regulation could have a chilling effect too
(Index on Censorship)
Censorship: The problem child of Burma’s dictatorship
Writer and artist Htoo Lyin Myo gives his personal account of working under government censorship in Burma
(Index on Censorship)
BAHRAIN
Media bias cost Bahrain millions
BAHRAIN has lost millions of dinars paying public relations companies as it tries to combat negative reporting in the international media, according to a leading human rights activist.
(Gulf Daily News)
Bahrain Salafist society wants concerts cancelled
A Salafist society in Bahrain has called for the cancellation of the annual summer festival in respect of the Arabs and Muslims suffering in several countries.
(Gulf News)
GHANA
Contempt of Court: It’s a ghost of Ghana’s common law system – Lawyer
A Senior Lecturer of the Ghana School of Law, Opoku Agyemang, has called for a critical analysis of contempt of court and freedom of speech.
(Ghana Web)
Supreme Court Did Nothing Wrong In Sentencing Ken Kuranchie
Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency under the erstwhile Prof Mills government, Dr Tony Aidoo, has waded into the public discussion of the jail sentence meted out to Stephen Atubiga and Ken Kuranchie by the Supreme Court over contemptuous comments saying it is about time media practitioners and commentators respect institutions of authority and obey the laws of the country.
(Asia Society)
INDIA
Who Has the Right to Offend in South Asia?
The past few months in India and around Asia have seen films, books, art and academics become targets of censorship, involving harassment, legal action and even threats of violence.
(Peace FM)
JAMAICA
Senate Begins Debate on Defamation Bill
The Senate, on July 5, commenced debate on a Bill entitled: ‘An Act to Repeal the Defamation Act and Libel and Slander Act’, also known as the Defamation Bill, during its sitting at Gordon House, downtown Kingston.
(Jamaica Information Service)
Punish Deejays For Gangsta Lyrics
Some of the worst examples of sloppy thinking, non-sequitur reasoning, and nonsense masquerading as commentary, as well as plain hysteria and myopia, have been manifested in this discussion on the anti-gang legislation as it concerns gangster lyrics.
(Jamaica Gleaner)
Time To Unleash Press Watchdog
The presentation in the Senate by de facto Information Minister Sandrea Falconer last week on a bill titled ‘An Act to Repeal the Defamation Act and Libel and Slander Act’, also known as the defamation bill, and her urging the media to establish their own self-regulatory body adds to the voices who are keen on these developments.
(Jamaica Gleaner)
PAKISTAN
Youtube and internet freedom
Should the judicial hammer protect personal freedoms or religious sensitivities?
(Pakistan Today)
TUNISIA
Tunisia actors may face ‘indecency’ charges
Tunisia’s public prosecutor is due to question 19 actors who were attacked by radical Salafist Muslims for alleged “indecent” behaviour, their lawyer told AFP on Sunday.
(AFP)
TURKEY
Turkey’s stance on Egypt coup ‘shows its democratic maturity’
The fact that all Turkey’s political parties have criticized the military coup in Egypt is a strong indicator of the country’s democratic maturity, according to an academic expert. ‘This tells us that if something similar happened here, it wouldn’t be tolerated,’ says Professor Mensur Akgün of Istanbul’s Kültür University
(Hürriyet Daily News)
Turkey rejects call to censor media coverage of gay pride as ‘pornographic’
Turkey’s media regulator has rejected a demand by influential Turkish charities to censor coverage of LGBT events in the country’s media.
(LGBTQ Nation)
UNITED KINGDOM
Banning the term ‘gay’ is an insult to free speech
Michael Gove, the impressive Secretary of State for Education, has just decreed that the term “gay” cannot be used as an insult. It’s “outrageous and medieval” to do so.
(The Telegraph)
Top cops probe councillors to try to find sources of Sunday Mail reports that embarrassed police chiefs
POLITICIANS, free speech campaigners and media experts condemn detectives’ investigation after we revealed allegations of bullying and misconduct by senior officers.
(Daily Record)
UNITED STATES
Social media free speech rights complicated for workers
An anonymous “Suzy Citizen” leaves fliers criticizing management in a public area of the St. Cloud Public Library, and the Great River Regional Library board of trustees hires an investigator to find out if an employee is the culprit.
(USA Today)
Understand free speech before crying wolf
Some folks have strange ideas about the First Amendment. Funny thing, that, since it’s mainly those of teabag persuasion that misunderstand, while claiming to channel the founding fathers every time they do ope their ruby lips; political versions of our own J.Z. Knight and her remunerative relic, Ramtha.
(The Herald)
VIETNAM
Vietnam Censors Give Songwriter Ngoc Dai “Free Advertising”
Arguably Vietnam’s most controversial songwriter, Ngoc Dai, has been featured regularly in the Vietnamese press over the last few weeks after releasing a new album without official permission.
(The Diplomat)
Previous Free Expression in the News posts
July 5 | July 4 | July 3 | July 2 | July 1 | June 28 | June 27 | June 26 | June 25 | June 24
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
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)
Previous Free Expression in the News posts
June 20 | June 19 | June 18 | June 17 | June 14 | June 13 | June 12
11 Jun 2013 | In the News
CANADA
Rob Ford wins partial costs in wake of failed libel suit
Boardwalk Pub restaurateur George Foulidis must pay mayor and Bruce Baker $137,000, judge ruled Monday. (Toronto Star)
CHINA
Beyond the Great Firewall: How and What China Censors
China’s lack of transparency has long posed a daunting challenge to outside observers trying to understand what the government’s interests, goals, and intentions are. Gary King, a Professor in Government at Harvard University, has provided telling new insights into these questions with his research on the government’s censorship of social media websites. (The Diplomat)
EGYPT
Maspero in crisis: report
The AFTE also claimed former head of the state-run TV sector Essam El-Amir resigned last December because of intervention in the coverage of the presidential palace clashes. (Daily News Egypt)
HONG KONG
Yes, Free Speech Is Big in Hong Kong—Because They Must Constantly Defend It
Hong Kong has a strong tradition of free speech.” That’s how Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old leaker who slammed National Security Agency surveillance as an “existential threat to democracy,” described his decision to flee to China. (New Republic)
RUSSIA
Accusations of censorship as more exhibitions are shut down at Perm festival
The White Nights festival in Perm has come under pressure after four of its exhibitions have been closed, seemingly at the request of unhappy local politicians. In response, Marat Guelman, one of the festival’s organisers has accused critics of political game-playing. (Calvert Journal)
UNITED STATES
Should the Lubbock AJ host Blogs?: Freedom of Speech Issues
In the spring of 2012 I was invited to begin a blog hosted on the Lubbock AJ on-line site. Having been drawn into the arena of public debate during the effort to close the city’s Health Department I felt that such an opportunity to encourage civic involvement was a good idea.
(Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
‘Free Speech’ Doesn’t Include Showing Dead Fetus Posters to Kids
The Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of an anti-abortion protestor who claimed his free speech was violated by the state of Colorado. By declining to hear the case, the Court allowed a lower court ruling barring certain types of anti-abortion protests in public areas to stand, which, on its surface, might sound like a good thing. But the truth’s a little messier.
(Jezebel)
As libel trial losers battle $1M legal bill, FBI probes claimed mid-trial DUI set-up of their lawyer
The trial in a defamation case between two radio shock jocks in Florida has been over for months. But there’s no end in sight to continuing issues involving the law firms for both sides, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
(ABA Journal)
A twist in the tale of the Christian valedictorian
You’ve probably heard about the South Carolina high school valedictorian who tore up his prepared speech at graduation ceremonies and instead recited the Lord’s Prayer, to cheers and applause. But there is a twist in the tale of Roy Costner IV, who has become a poster boy for Christian conservatives.
(Los Angeles Times)
VIETNAM
Vietnam bans action movie despite removal of violent scenes
Vietnam latest action movie about gang fights in Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown has been officially banned after the censors disapproved of the new, censored version. (Thanh Nien)
