China's top legislature, the NPC Standing Committee, adopted a controversial new National Security Law that increases cyber security powers and "ideological control over the public."
Mexico's ruling coalition kept its slim majority in elections marred by violence and assassination of candidates. Striking teachers attempted to disrupt the vote, calling it a farce.
A Saudi court upheld the sentence of 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for pro-secular blogger Raif Badawi for "insulting Islam through electronic channels."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for a thorough investigation into the fatal shooting of a Muslim man in Boston by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Bangladesh authorities banned the Ansarullah Bangla Team, an Islamist militant group suspected of involvement in the murders of three atheist bloggers this year.
Chinese prosecutors said that human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang has been indicted on charges of fanning ethnic hatred and provoking unrest for comments that he posted online.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Dhaka to denounce the murder of blogger Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death with machetes following threats over his atheist views.
An Egyptian court sentenced secular activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah to five years in prison in a retrial on charges stemming from the 2011 uprising.
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior initiated a criminal investigation into alleged illegal content posted by the country's main opposition group, a-Wefaq National Islamic Society.
In "moderate" Malaysia, an opposition leader is sent to prison for "sodomy," and when a cartoonist lampooned the sentence, he was arrested for "sedition."
Rights activist Said Ali Said Jadad was arrested with no warrant by Omani authorities, charged with undermining the prestige of the state and inciting demonstrations.
Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld convictions and three-year prison sentences of three activists for violating the country's controversial new anti-protest law.
