17 Jul 13 | In the News
INDEX EVENTS
18 July New World (Dis)Order: What do Turkey, Russia and Brazil tell us about freedom and rights?
Index, in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations, is holding a timely debate on the shifting world order and its impact on rights and freedoms. The event will also launch the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, including a special report on the multipolar world.
(More information)
19 July: What surveillance means to YOU
Join us 19 July for a live Google hangout with Index on Censorship as Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Rebecca Mckinnon of Gloval Voices discuss what mass surveillance means to all of us as individuals. Hosted by Padraig Reidy of Index, the hour-long event will delve in the issues around government surveillance of innocent civilians.
(More information)
BURKINA FASO
Burkina Faso state media journalists protest censorship
In Burkina Faso, tens of journalists from state media today held a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Communications in the capital Ouagadougou to protest what they deem to be excessive government censorship of news coverage.
(CPJ Blog)
CHINA
Censorship in China is Deeper and More Insidious Than You Think
Despite a free-wheeling micro-blogging scene, traditional media sources still operate under heavy government constraints.
(The Atlantic)
JAPAN
Former premier sues Shinzo Abe for libel over Fukushima disaster
Prime minister says Kan’s instructions to dampen nuclear emergency were ‘made up’
(South China Morning Post)
LIBYA
Libya moves a step closer to new post-Gaddafi constitution
Libya’s national assembly passed a law on Tuesday providing for the election of a committee to draft a new constitution following the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
(Reuters)
RUSSIA
Russian senator officially demands ‘measures’ against ‘flagrant’, ‘privacy-breaching’ Google
A high-profile Russian lawmaker has lodged an official request with the general prosecutor to investigate Google’s activities in Russia, saying the web services company’s privacy policy “gravely violates the Russian constitution.”
(RT)
SRI LANKA
Sri Lankan film ban halts French festival, sparks anger
The Sri Lankan government’s decision to ban the acclaimed film, “Flying Fish” and halt the French film festival, where it was screened has sparked outrage in a country that’s no stranger to threats to free speech.
(France 24)
TURKEY
Turkey regulator to appoint two board members to Turkcell
Turkey’s Capital Markets Board will appoint two board members to Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS soon, Chairman Vahdettin Ertas told Turkish TV channel CNBCe Tuesday, after a series of failed annual shareholder meetings amid the long-running dispute over control of Turkcell.
(Total Telecom)
UNITED STATES
Emails show ex-Gov. Daniels sought to quash political opposition in Ind. schools
Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels pledged to promote academic freedom, not stifle it, when he became president at Purdue University in January.
(AP via Daily Reporter)
Advice column is free speech; Ky. psychology board overreaches
What do the Westboro Baptist Church, Larry Flynt and John Rosemond have in common? All have turned to federal courts to protect their First Amendment rights. Westboro and Flynt prevailed at the Supreme Court which ruled that, no matter how noxious or crude, protests at military funerals and Hustler satire are constitutionally protected forms of expression.
(Lexington Herald-Leader)
Terror Supporter May Have Free Speech Case
A man convicted of aiding al-Qaida can pursue claims that Uncle Sam has cut off his speech in prison, but he’ll face a heavy burden of proof, a federal judge ruled.
(Courthouse News)
‘Veterans’ Free Speech Trial Ends in Guilty Verdict, Followed by Dismissal of Charges
Judge Robert Mandelbaum covered all his bases with his verdict July 12 in the case of 12veterans and their allies arrested last Oct. 7 at New York City’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza.
(The Indypendent)
‘US citizen has no right to free speech?’ State Dept spokesperson
During a daily press briefing State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki was given a thorough grilling on the Snowden affair by journalists, including AP’s Matthew Lee and CNN’s Elise Labott and was left lost for words at almost every turn.
(RT)
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16 Jul 13 | In the News
INDEX EVENTS
18 July New World (Dis)Order: What do Turkey, Russia and Brazil tell us about freedom and rights?
Index, in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations, is holding a timely debate on the shifting world order and its impact on rights and freedoms. The event will also launch the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, including a special report on the multipolar world.
(More information)
19 July: What surveillance means to YOU
Join us 19 July for a live Google hangout with Index on Censorship as Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Rebecca Mckinnon of Gloval Voices discuss what mass surveillance means to all of us as individuals. Hosted by Padraig Reidy of Index, the hour-long event will delve in the issues around government surveillance of innocent civilians.
(More information)
BAHRAIN
Bahrain warns against attending protest rallies
A spokesperson for the Bahrain government has warned against participation in the so-called “Rebellion of Bahrain” rallies and said participants will face legal action.
(Khaleej Times)
CHINA
Head of Google China leaves post, to be replaced by executive from Europe
Google’s leader for its China operations, John Liu, is leaving his position as the company continues to maintain a low-key presence in the nation following heated disputes over online censorship.
(PC World)
Incoming West Kowloon museum curator vows to be ‘politically incorrect’
Censorship has no place in at ideas places like venues such as museums, which should stimulate people to think for themselves, says a top New York curator who is due to join Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District’s visual culture museum.
(South China Morning Post)
INDIA
India Marks End of Era with Last Telegram
Thousands of people crowded telegraph offices around India to send the country’s last telegrams, as the government shut down the 163-year old service on Sunday.
(VOA)
MALTA
Malta FA presidential candidate sues for libel
Peter Fenech is to file two libel suits against Maltatoday and the newspaper’s website, maltatoday.com.mt, over two articles published yesterday entitled ‘Peter Fenech in impossible attempt at MFA presidency’ and ‘Dede’s supporters play down MFA rival’s transparency credentials’.
(Times of Malta)
RUSSIA
Russia’s Putin wants Snowden to go, but asylum not ruled out
President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he wanted Edward Snowden to leave after three weeks holed up at a Moscow airport, but also signaled that the former U.S. spy agency contractor was moving towards meeting Russia’s asylum conditions.
(Reuters)
TUNISIA
Tunisia’s dark turn
While Egypt’s revolution devolves into chaos, Tunisia’s democratic transition, which until now has been the most promising of any in the Arab world, is also in jeopardy. A bill being pushed by Islamists and their allies in National Constituent Assembly called the “law for the protection of the revolution” seems in reality designed to protect the ruling Islamist party, Nahda, from having to face real competition in the next elections.
(Los Angeles Times)
UNITED KINGDOM
The murky world of literary libel
Lawsuits, pulped books, family rifts: when novelists base their characters on real people, trouble tends to follow. John Preston investigates literary libel.
(The Telegraph)
Want to force ISPs to censor porn? Pass a law
As I write this, representatives from ISPs are meeting with the government for further talks on parental controls.
(PC Pro)
Online blogger set to appeal libel ruling
THE Towy Valley blogger, who lost her libel case against Carmarthenshire chief executive Mark James, is appealing against the ruling.
(South Wales Guardian)
UNITED STATES
ACLU says new Fairfield social media policy violates free speech rights
Maine’s American Civil Liberties Union says a new policy governing the online habits of Fairfield town employees is unconstitutional, but town leaders say they’re just trying to prevent their workers from attacking each other on social media sites.
(Kennebec Journal)
Zimmerman lawyer says he’ll move to sue NBC for libel
George Zimmerman is preparing to resume their effort to sue NBC News for libel following the network’s extraordinary breach of trust when they edited Zimmerman’s 911 call to make him look like a trigger happy racist.
(American Thinker)
Canned for Speaking Out?
It’s not unheard-of for a college to tell a faculty member partway through a probationary period before tenure that things just aren’t working out. And that may well be why Weber State University failed to rehire Jared Lisonbee, a professor of child and family studies. But the timing of his termination – after he and his wife spoke out against plans to name a new family program after a Mormon leader who has expressed controversial views on gays, women and intellectuals – has raised suspicion about what motivated the decision.
(Inside Higher Ed)
Would the Supreme Court silence pro-lifers?
A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court decided to hear a major free-speech case during its next term. The case, McCullen v. Coakley, concerns a 2007 Massachusetts law that prohibits some speakers from coming within 35 feet of free-standing abortion clinics. In effect, the law bans pro-life advocates from trying to peacefully persuade those entering the clinic to consider alternatives to abortion.
(The Washington Times)
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15 Jul 13 | Europe and Central Asia, News and features
German chancellor Angela Merkel has called for more stringent EU data protection rules, after allegations that US surveillance programmes have also impacted EU citizens. Sara Yasin reports
In an interview with ARD television yesterday, the German leader called for privacy rules that apply to all member states, as online companies are currently only required to follow legislation where they are registered. Facebook, for example, is registered in Ireland and is only required to follow Irish privacy laws.
Merkel also told ARD that she expects the United States to abide by Germany’s privacy laws in the future.
While Merkel has claimed that she learned of US mass surveillance from the media, German daily Bild reported that the country’s foreign intelligence agency (BND) knew about the programme as well as storage of German data for many years now. Bild also reported that data stored was also used by German intelligence to locate citizens kidnapped abroad.
Index, along with English PEN, Open Rights Group, and Article 19 have called on the European Parliament “to support a Data Protection Regulation that helps people regain control of their personal data.”
In a letter sent to Sarah Ludford MEP, a shadow rapporteur on the European Parliament’s data protection dossier, the organisations stressed the importance of control over personal data:
Too often, people do not know how their information will be used, where it will be processed or who will have access to it. This is partly because the principles of the current data protection laws are insufficiently implemented. We believe the new Data Protection Regulation could give people more control over what happens to their information, and ensure those that collect and use data adhere to the rules.
The European Parliament has ordered a probe into allegations that the United States has spied on EU citizens and diplomats. The Civil Liberties Committee will hold an inquiry, and plans to release a report by the end of this year.
Sara Yasin is an Editorial Assistant at Index. She tweets from @missyasin
15 Jul 13 | In the News
INDEX EVENTS
18 July New World (Dis)Order: What do Turkey, Russia and Brazil tell us about freedom and rights?
Index, in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations, is holding a timely debate on the shifting world order and its impact on rights and freedoms. The event will also launch the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, including a special report on the multipolar world.
(More information)
19 July: What surveillance means to YOU
Join us 19 July for a live Google hangout with Index on Censorship as Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Rebecca Mckinnon of Gloval Voices discuss what mass surveillance means to all of us as individuals. Hosted by Padraig Reidy of Index, the hour-long event will delve in the issues around government surveillance of innocent civilians.
(More information)
BRAZIL
Brazil eyes internet bill amid spying leaks
With reports of NSA internet spying, Congress reconsiders stalled bill that some say would have prevented it.
(Al Jazeera)
GLOBAL
Week in Review: Criminalizing Free Speech and Spying to Crush Dissent
Most popular stories of the week
(Global Research)
INDIA
Impediment of Speech and Imbalance of Justice
In March 2013 Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was invited by some pro-business, pro-industry students at an American university to give a keynote address via video conference.
(Dissident Voices)
LIBYA
In liberated Libya, women struggle to raise their hand
Some women see Libya’s transition as a prime opportunity to improve their standing in society and gain political power, but societal norms still stand in the way.
(The Christian Science Monitor)
RWANDA
Rwandans Consider Their Media Free – Survey
A Rwanda Media Barometer (RMB) survey carried out by Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) and consultants from Transparency International Rwanda has shown that media freedom in the country, in the perceptions of its population, was at its highest.
(AllAfrica)
TUNISIA
Tunisia’s Tamarod steps up campaign to dissolve parliament
Tunisia’s Tamarod has continued its campaign to collect signatures for a petition demanding parliament be dissolved, despite facing threats and media speculation.
(Egypt Indpendent)
TURKEY
Turkish journalists join up against censorship and violence
Protests against the Turkish government continue, with journalists and artists now joining the fold. They’re speaking out against the violence against journalists and censorship of the press that takes place in Turkey.
(DW)
Turkey may face political disaster if Morsi doesn’t return to power: Turkish analyst
A senior Turkish political analyst says Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong opposition to the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi by the army may have “disastrous political consequences” for Turkey if the Muslim Brotherhood fails to return to power in Egypt.
(Tehran Times)
UNITED KINGDOM
UK Ideological Travel Ban Helps Hate
So, this sounds like as good a time as ever to make a counterintuitive argument. Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer—two notable critics of “creeping sharia” and the “Islamization” of America—were invited to speak at an English Defense League (EDL) rally in Woolwich, the city where a British soldier was brutally murdered in May in what has been described by authorities as a terrorist attack. The EDL is a far-right nativist street protest group, formed out of the soccer “hooligan” subculture in Britain. It is frequently identified as a “hate group.”
(ACLU)
UNITED STATES
Should we have a list of words for self-censorship?
The other day, a young child scolded her father for using the “S” word. She further explained her teacher had told her class not to call people the “S” word, From this information the word might have been “stupid” or “silly,” adjectives important today.
(Delaware Online)
JFK’s mind-blowing speech on secrecy and the role of newspapers
“The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and secret proceedings…”
(ZD Net)
Steelers, Dolphins have no comment on Pounceys’ “Free Hernandez” hats
Earlier today, a photo surfaced of Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and Dolphins center Mike Pouncey wearing “Free Hernandez” hats, apparently at their recent birthday party.
(NBC Sports)
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