Category: Freedom of Expression

Palestine: crackdown on journalists, civil society activists

     

The Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza are arresting, abusing, and criminally charging journalists and activists who express peaceful criticism of the authorities, Human Rights Watch said today:… Read more »

Crowdfunding: just one option to save independent journalism

     

The media crackdown in Turkey is a major story that should make us appreciate the countless unsung reporters and editors worldwide who struggle every day to practice good journalism, no… Read more »

How the internet can impede democratization

     

The internet is an intuitive boon for democracy, according to Elizabeth Stoycheff, Assistant professor at Wayne State University, and Erik C. Nisbet, Associate professor at Ohio State University. It provides… Read more »

Enough is Enough: Iranian Kurds Running Out of Patience

     

Two decades after a ceasefire, Kurdish fighters have resumed armed action in Iran, The London Times reports (subscription required). The result has been scores of deaths, cross-border artillery barrages into… Read more »

Russia: ‘Big Brother’ Law Harms Security, Rights

     

Russia’s controversial anti-terrorism legislation is reminiscent of Soviet-era surveillance and will also likely contribute to crippling the Russian economy, notes Anna Borshchevskaya, an Ira Weiner fellow at The Washington Institute… Read more »

Democracies join authoritarians in rejecting civil society space

     

The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed a resolution for the “promotion, protection, and enjoyment of human rights on the internet” which condemns any country that intentionally disrupts the internet access of its… Read more »

Cuba ‘open for business’, closed to dissent

     

Cuba may be open for business, but it remains closed to dissent, according to a retired career American diplomat. “Despite President Obama’s best intentions, no improvement on the human rights… Read more »

Global downturn in civil and political rights – key implications

     

There is a downturn in civil and political rights in many of the world’s largest and most geopolitically significant countries, especially Russia, China, and Turkey, but also other countries such… Read more »

Activist ban highlights ‘existential threat’ to Egypt’s civil society

     

  An Egyptian activist was prevented from flying to Beirut for a women’s rights conference on Monday after passport control officials told her she was banned from traveling, Reuters reports:… Read more »

The populist perils of illiberal paeans

     

Modern democracies operate within a framework of rationalism. Dismantle it and the space is filled by prejudice. Fear counts above reason; anger above evidence. Lies claim equal status with facts,… Read more »