14 May 2013 | In the News
ARGENTINA
From the Magazine: The press and the maiden
In Argentina, media organizations take sides: for or against the government. Graciela Mochkofsky tells the story behind the turf war between President Fernández de Kirchner and Grupo Clarín. (Index on Censorship)
CHINA
Hollywood Films Face China’s Strict Censorship
Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” was re-released in China after censors made changes to the film to meet the country’s strict standards.(Edge on the Net)
GHANA
Former Adentan MP Partly Blames Censorship Board For Recent Crimes
In the wake of the security challenges confronting Ghana, the former Member of Parliament for Adentan constituency, Kojo Adu Asare has questioned the competence of the various censorship boards in the country in the execution of their duties.
(Peace FM)
INDIA
Will social media be a game changer for Indian politics?
Election fever has completely gripped the Indian media. Though general elections are scheduled for 2014, the news cycle regularly carries rumours of early elections every time another corruption scandal breaks. Pundits, analysts and party spokespersons, appearing on television every night, attempt to connect with India’s growing middle classes. And a big topic of conversation: the potential for social media to become a game changer in the next election, Mahima Kaul reports from New Delhi. (Index on Censorship)
TUNISIA
Rights group frets over Tunisian ‘loopholes’
Certain aspects of a draft constitution under review in Tunisia contain “loopholes” that could undermine basic civil liberties, Human Rights Watch said. (UPI.com)
TURKEY
Turkish Court Imposes Media Clampdown on Reyhanli Bombing
A court in the small town decided on a “reporting ban,” applicable nationwide, about this act of terror. (Al Monitor)
UNITED KINGDOM
Nesbitt pushes ahead with free speech law for Ulster
The first draft of a law to strengthen the defence of free speech in Northern Ireland has been written — two months after the News Letter revealed that Stormont had vetoed the Defamation Bill. (Belfast Newsletter)
UNITED STATES
IRS abuses power in targeting tea party
The extraordinary revelation this week that the Internal Revenue Service targeted tea party groups for more aggressive enforcement highlights exactly why caution is needed in any response to the much-vilified Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC. It also shows how all Americans, from the most liberal to the most conservative, should closely guard their First Amendment rights, and why giving the government too much power to limit political speech will inevitably result in selective enforcement against unpopular groups. (CNN)
Some NFL Players Have Less Margin For Their Free Speech
If Mrs. Burke’s civics class taught us nothing, it’s that the First Amendment to the Constitution gives us unfettered rights to free speech. We can say whatever we want, whenever we want, without fear of consequence or repercussions, right? (WYPR News)
Campaign finance reform cannot include chilling of free speech
I’m going to get slammed by some of my friends for this, but this piece by directors of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office explains why I cannot support Move to Amend. I will not work to amend the constitution to silence free speech by those whose opinions I disagree with. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Catholic Bishop Suggests ‘Freedom of Speech’ Does Not Allow Religious Disagreements
Katherine O’Connor is an art student at Carnegie Mellon University who allegedly decided to dress as the pope and march in a campus parade — or, at least, dress as the pope from the waist up. Police charged her with public nudity because she allegedly wore nothing at all below the belt. (Think Progress)
ACLU sues Worcester over anti-panhandling laws, citing freedom of speech; city eyes safety
The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming that two new anti-panhandling ordinances violate the constitutional right to free speech. (The Republic)
Rush Limbaugh still faces assault on free speech and expression
It is a sad commentary that liberals, progressives, or whatever extremists call themselves, would use their freedom of speech and expression to repress and oppress others rights to free speech and expression. It is pathetic they would abuse their constitutional rights to shut down, shut out, and shut up others. It is a disgrace these people call themselves Americans. (Washington Times Communities
Obama Administration Scraps Free Speech
Two years ago, this column, along with others, raised an alarm about the Obama administration’s decision radically to diminish the due process rights of those accused of sexual harassment on American campuses. (The Patriot Post)
13 May 2013 | In the News
BAHRAIN
Missing Bahraini blogger surfaces in London
Opposition activist Ali Abdulemam, sentenced to 15 years in absentia, has reemerged after two years in hiding. (Aljazeera)
Bahrain policeman’s trial postponed
Bahrain’s court of appeals on Sunday adjourned until June 2 the trial of two policemen who had challenged a 10-year jail verdict by a lower court. (Gulf News)
ISRAEL
EU warns Israel to respect freedom of worship
The European Union’s top foreign affairs official on Friday called on Israel to respect freedom of worship in holy places. (World Bulletin)
ITALY
Amanda Knox faces libel trial over memoir
Giuliano Mignini, the prosecutor who investigated Knox for the murder of Meredith Kercher, an exchange student from Coulsdon, Surrey, told the Sunday Times he had decided to sue the Italian magazine Oggi after it published extracts from Knox’s book last week. (The Sunday Times
NETHERLANDS
Shell Censorship
I fail to understand how Shell’s long-standing policy of silencing criticism by covert activity, or through the courts, is compatible with its claimed core business principle of transparency? (Royal Dutch Shell plc .com)
UNITED KINGDOM
UK spyware used against Bahraini activists – court witness
UK spy technology was used against British citizen in Bahrain, new evidence filed in a UK high court has claimed. Activists are calling for a judicial review of the UK’s failure to hold firms accountable for sales of spy software to repressive regimes. (RT)
Peer warns over Stormont’s blocking of ‘free speech’ bill
A leading historian has warned that Stormont’s veto of a law to strengthen freedom of speech will undermine the work of academics, as well as hampering responsible journalism. (News Letter)
David Cameron’s head of strategy sues Australian minister for libel
Lynton Crosby takes Australia’s defence procurment minister, Mike Kelly, to court over tweet. (The Guardian)
UNITED STATES
Animal cruelty laws stir free speech debate
A feverish debate in Tennessee over a law that would compel people with video of alleged animal cruelty to hand a copy over to police has set off a debate about wider First Amendment issues. Philly.com
10 May 2013 | In the News
CHINA
Chen Guangcheng’s Family Under Attack
A little over a year ago, China’s heroic blind lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, escaped from house arrest, eventually fleeing to the United States with his wife and child. The Chinese government is now retaliating against the members of his family who remain in China. (National Review)
CAYMAN ISLANDS
Online poll: Most want libel standards for social media/online forums
Only a small percentage of the respondents to last week’s cayCompass.com online poll believe social media and online forum sites should not be held to the same libel standards as traditional media. (CayCompass)
INDIA
Internet censorship in India
The Indian government these days enters the final stage of the first phase of implementation of the system for monitoring Internet activity, text messaging (e-mail, SMS) and voice calls of their residents. It is about $74 million heavy security project that is broadly conceived as a weapon to fighting terrorism. It is difficult, however, to ignore the fact that the privacy of users now virtually will not exist. (Decrypted Tech)
MALAYSIA
DAP miscasts free speech and ideas as racism
TWO unyielding issues gibbering away post-GE13 are now causing great national distress that seems to be breaking away like a runaway train. (New Staits Times)
TAIWAN
Taiwan seeks official cross-strait talks on culture
China’s publication censorship and lax protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) have left many of Taiwan’s creative and cultural industry operators snookered in their forays into the Chinese market. (Focus Taiwan)
UNITED STATES
What is your freedom of speech costing you?
I am a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan. Even though they consistently lose and still refuse to draft a decent quarterback, I will continue to wear my jersey and braids with pride. So let’s just say that I wasn’t particularly surprised when I got word that the Vikings released their punter, Chris Kluwe, out of his contract. While the 2012 season was a personal best for Kluwe, the Vikings still decided that after eight years, they’ve had enough. His performance was inconsistent at best, and at 31 years old, whisperings of retirement were beginning. But what did surprise me was the possible hidden agenda behind his release. (The Rocky Mountain Collegian)
Dirk Stemerman: Free speech at work
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you — maybe not in a court of law, but certainly before an unemployment judge. Simply put, there is no First Amendment right to free speech in the workplace. (Monterey County Herald)
Bake a Mean Spirited Censorship Pie with the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Parker Higgins bakes a “Mean Spirited Censorship Pie” — which is what all have to call the classic Southern dessert formerly known as “Derby Pie,” now that Kern’s Kitchen in Louisville is threatening to sue anyone who posts a family recipe with that name. (Boing Boing)
9 May 2013 | In the News
CANADA
Letter: Censorship has no place in our society
What a shameful affront by York Regional Police to the democratic liberties enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, namely freedom of speech and belief, in stopping Pamela Geller, an invited American anti-Islamist, from expressing her thoughts at a Thornhill synagogue. (York Region
CHINA
How to Jump the Great Firewall of China
As the Chinese government’s censorship tools becomes increasingly refined, Internet users have learned to circumvent the Great Firewall. Their primary technique is to communicate via the same networks as government agencies and major businesses. (Tech President/Personal Democracy Media)
ISRAEL
Another bad Israeli law
The libel bill, which was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, would have a dangerous chilling effect on criticism of IDF operations. (Haaretz)
PAKISTAN
Blogging in Pakistan ain’t like blogging in America
At first, it was just Buzzfeed. I had moved back to Pakistan, where I intended to continue my full time work in online media, after almost 13 years in the United States. But the internet in Karachi did not appear to be the same internet I’d known and loved in America. (GlobalPost)
RUSSIA
Google Defeated in Russian YouTube Censorship Case
In February, Google filed an appeal in Russia to challenge the censorship of a YouTube video deemed unlawful. This week, Google was defeated. (Search Engine Watch)
UNITED KINGDOM
Editorial Viewpoint: Baffling silence on free speech threat
Every day, it seems, we get another example of the dysfunctional nature of government in Northern Ireland. In this case it concerns reforms to the libel laws which are being introduced in Britain. (Belfast Telegraph)
UNITED STATES
Judge Rules For Cheerleaders In Bible Banner Suit
A judge has ruled that cheerleaders at a Southeast Texas high school can display banners emblazoned with Bible verses at football games. (ABC News)
EA Claims Gun Designs Are Protected Under Free Speech
With guns becoming a hot topic of debate once more in the United States, EA has chosen to distance themselves from arms manufacturers; no longer will EA pay for the right to depict real firearms in their games. Just because they aren’t going to pay any longer, don’t expect EA to stop using depictions of real weapons and vehicles; EA believes their constitutional rights under the tenants of free speech allow their use of trademarks without permission. (Click)
North Dakota School Allows Pro-Life Poster After Initial Censorship
One day after receiving a letter from Alliance Defending Freedom, a North Dakota high school and its district agreed to allow a student’s pro-life poster that was part of a class assignment to be placed back on the walls of the school. (LifeNews.com
Free-speech protest at market not met with vendor applause
Though an Athens, Ohio, man says he got arrested at the Athens Farmers Market Saturday on behalf of free speech, his efforts don’t seem to have generated much enthusiastic support among vendors who sell their products there. (The Athens News)
Attorneys and activists say Illinois terrorism law is chilling free speech
Attorneys and activists say Illinois law is chilling free speech by defining legal activism as illegal terrorism.
The argument is being made on behalf of three men charged under Illinois’ terrorism law in connection with protests at last year’s NATO gathering in Chicago.(Medill Reports)
Farms And Free Speech
Senator Mike Brubaker (R-36) is hoping to introduce and pass a bill similar to a bill he proposed one year ago. This time, he said he’s made some adjustments. The bill would require anybody photographing or filming farms during undercover investigations to turn over footage to law enforcement before posting the footage anywhere else first. (CentralPA.com
