Free speech News

China reasserts right to 'cyber sovereignty' By James Walker Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated the country will not cut off the global Internet but is committed to achieving its vision of "cyber sovereignty." During a speech in China, Xi said each country should be able to internally regulate the Internet.

Winnipeg doctor claims he was fired for criticizing Israel By Ken Hanly Winnipeg - Dr. Hussam Azzam, claims he was fired as chief medical officer for St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg for his criticism of the Israeli government.

Op-Ed: China and the case of the missing booksellers By Tim Sandle Hong Kong - During 2015 Chinese officials arrested five booksellers in Hong Kong, accusing them of selling literature critical of the Chinese government and with an aim of shipping books to the Chinese mainland. One of the booksellers remains missing.

Jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi wins freedom of speech prize By Megan Hamilton Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, imprisoned since 2012 for "insulting Islam," was awarded a prestigious free-speech prize on Tuesday. Badawi was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize along with British Poet James Fenton.

Ohio man may face jail for parodying police on Facebook page By Megan Hamilton Parma - An Ohio man may face criminal charges that accuse him of creating a Facebook account that parodies the Parma Police Department's official page.

CTV meteorologist draws storm over Frankie MacDonald comments Special By Kevin Jess Sydney - CTV meteorologist Cindy Day is drawing a storm of protest due to recent Twitter posts concerning Frankie MacDonald, a popular self professed weather man from Sydney, Nova Scotia, who also happens to be autistic.

School children jailed for making fun of Islamic State By Brian Booker Four school children in Egypt are facing up to five years in jail, while a fifth child is on the run. A school teacher is also facing seven years in jail. The crime? Making fun of the Islamic State.

Op-Ed: Cruz wrong to say political signs, donations both free speech By Calvin Wolf Washington D.c. - Firebrand libertarian U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has courted controversy yet again, this time by saying there should be no limits on campaign contributions. Cruz claims that political spending is equal to free speech.

Sydney Muslims rally against free speech By Richard van der Draay Sydney - On Friday night, a group of nearly 1,000 protesters assembled in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba to oppose what organisers classed as negative coverage of the Islamic faith and to reject the notion of free speech.

Elonis v. U.S.:Supreme Court hears Facebook death threat case By Brett Wilkins Washington - The US Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in a closely watched case testing the limits of free speech on social media.

Supreme Court case deals with cheerleaders cheering for Jesus By Walter McDaniel Kountze - Cheerleaders are taking a case to the Supreme Court of Texas. Team members had banners removed or censored and are claiming that this infringes on their right to free speech.

Supreme Court strikes down abortion clinic 'buffer zones' By Brett Wilkins Washington - The United States Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that a Massachusetts law prohibiting protests near abortion clinics is unconstitutional.

'We don't do finesse' says Israeli Spokesman Yigal Palmor By Walter McDaniel Yigor Palmor works as a major spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs but has many problems with how they conduct their affairs. He claims a lack of finesse and a tendency to push their agenda hurts the foreign image of Israel.

Mass. student punished for writing pro-democracy notes By Martin Laine An American exchange student in China got into a bit of hot water when he wrote some pro-democracy phrases in another student’s notebook.

U.S. Supreme Court case expands political clout of wealthy elite By Rabeh Soofi On April 2, 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court overruled a 40-year-old decision upholding the legality of limits to the overall amount a single person can donate to candidates, political parties, and committees.

Facebook to get rid of gun-themed pages? By Alex Allen Facebook executives are currently debating a huge policy change that could bring an end to all gun-themed pages on the social media website.

Op-Ed: Islamists hate free speech Special By Lonna Lisa Williams Istanbul - Turkey's Islamist government are enforcing new Internet restrictions and persecutes journalists, prosecutors, freedom protesters, and even police.

FBI calls half of populace with 9/11 doubts potential terrorists By Ralph Lopez A Department of Justice memo instructs local police, under a program named "communities against terrorism," to consider anyone who harbors "conspiracy theories" about 9/11 to be a potential terrorist.

New law stifles free expression in the Gambia By Brett Wilkins Banjul - Critics are claiming an amendment to a Gambian Internet law will stifle free expression in the tiny West African dictatorship.

Anti-war-on-terror group's free speech challenged in Ottawa By Victoria N. Alexander Ottawa - On September 18th, the Ottawa Transit Commission will meet to decide whether or not an anti-war, pro-civil liberties group, currently running ads on 300 buses in Ottawa, will be allowed to continue to air their message.

Op-Ed: Solidarity sing along, peaceful protesters arrested for singing By Nichole Childers About 2 years ago, Wisconsin elected a new governor. Governor Walker took office in January of 2011. A month later he introduced a new budget that would change certain rules and could cause many people to lose their jobs.

Kokesh arrested over July video, says possible charge of sedition By Ralph Lopez UPDATE: Stewart Rhodes, President of Oathkeepers, has issued a statement criticizing the government response to Kokesh, which also criticizes Mr. Kokesh.

Op-Ed: Renewed perils for free expression in Turkey By Robert G Cope Istanbul - In November 2012 the deteriorating conditions for reporting news led to a delegation of writers meeting in Istanbul. Now, as widely reported, the media's coverage of so far peaceful protests is now at a crisis.

Author investigated for calling Portuguese President ‘a clown' By Robert Myles Lisbon - Portugal's Attorney General has opened an investigation after celebrated author, Miguel Sousa Tavares, called Portugal’s head of state, President Silva, a clown in an interview. The author’s remarks could see him facing a three year jail term.

Mocking Sarkozy not a crime, says European Court of Human Rights By Robert Myles Strasbourg - In a judgement issued yesterday the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has over-ruled an earlier decision of a French court which resulted in a man who had mocked former French President Nicolas Sarkozy being given a suspended fine of €30.

Op-Ed: New cyberbullying law in North Carolina limits free speech By Isabel Ivanescu A new law in North Carolina aimed at protecting teachers from cyberbullying prohibits the creation of fake Internet accounts under teacher's names by students and criminalizes posting unedited pictures or accurate statements which lead to harassment.

Op-Ed: Loyalty oaths and censorship are not principles of freedom By Rob Lafferty Eugene - Two Arizona lawmakers have introduced two different proposed laws that might come to a vote this year. Both laws would require students in public and charter schools to stand, face an American flag and recite a standard pledge of allegiance every day.

Newspaper journalists in China strike against censorship By Eileen Kersey Guangzhou - Strikes are rare in China. The authorities have many restrictions in place and those who are prepared to stand against the country's leaders know that they risk a great deal.

UK Defamation Bill poses threat to freedom of speech By Milo Noblet A new law to tackle people who publish offensive messages online would have a ‘chilling effect’ on free speech, the Joint Committee on Human Rights has warned the British Government.

Op-Ed: Alber Saber, Egyptian blogger, gets 3 years for blasphemy By Ken Hanly Cairo - Alber Saber, an Egyptian blogger, was arrested back in September. Neighbours accused Saber of posting links to a trailer from the film Innocence of Muslims. An Egyptian court sentenced Saber to three years for blasphemy and contempt of religion.

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