Brazil’s position in free speech’s world charts like Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press and RSF’s Press Fredom Index has consistently worsened in recent years, Rafael Spulder writes from Sao Paolo.
Chinese censors have been working overtime on social network Weibo after users noticed that the new headquarters of state propaganda sheet the People’s Daily News (see pic) looked, er, a bit phallic.
According to the South China Morning Morning Post, Weibo searches for “People’s Daily” and “building” appear to show that the terms have been blocked.
“It seems the People’s Daily is going to rise up, there’s hope for the Chinese dream,” quipped one Weibo user.
Padraig Reidy is senior writer for Index on Censorship. @mePadraigReidy
Syria
“Attacks on journalists have threatened the flow of news to the outside world”, says Amnesty International, launching a report on threats to media workers in that country’s civil war. According to AP, killings of journalists in the conflict number “somewhere between 44 and 100, depending on who does the counting”. (AP)
Burma
A Muslim woman, Win Win Sein, has been charged with “religious defamation”, after she accidentally knocked over the alms bowl of a Buddhist monk (AFP)
France
The video for “College Boy” by rock band Indochine has been banned from TV for its portrayal of bullying and the crucifiction and shooting of a schoolboy (Huffington Post France)
(Warning: video is graphic)
Turkmenistan
Government officials searched phones and cameras of spectators at a horse racing event in an attempt to suppress footage of President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov falling off his horse at the end of a race he “won” (The Times £)
Chinese censors have been working overtime on social network Weibo after users noticed that the new headquarters of state propaganda sheet the People’s Daily News (see pic) looked, er, a bit phallic.
According to the South China Morning Morning Post, Weibo searches for “People’s Daily” and “building” appear to show that the terms have been blocked.
“It seems the People’s Daily is going to rise up, there’s hope for the Chinese dream,” quipped one Weibo user.
Padraig Reidy is senior writer for Index on Censorship. @mePadraigReidy